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ADVICE ON THE USES 


AND 

ABUSES OF SPECTACLES 

* 

AND 

SIGHT. 


BY 


DR JOHN PHILLIPS. 



PRICE, TWENTY-FIVE CENTS. 


CHICAGO: 

PUBLISHED BY DR. JOHN PHILLIPS, 168 CLARK STRE. 

WESTERN NEWS CO., W. B. KEEN & COOKE; 




NEW A T ORK: D. APPLETON & CO.; PHILADELPHIA: LINDSAA & BLAKISTON; 
CINCINNATI: ROBERT CLARKE & CO., R. W. CARROLL & CO.; 
BALTIMORE: KELLY, PIET & CO.; LOUISVILLE: 

SHERRILL & SON; NEW ORLEANS: 

GEO. ELLIS; DETROIT: 

10. B. SMITH & CO. 


1869 . 


















































WILLIAM BARLER, 

Gold & Silver Spectacles Manufacturer 

No. 248 NORTH EIGHTH STREET, 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 

S. A -I- MYKKS, 

IMPORTERS OF 

WATCHES, WATCH MATERIALS, TOOLS 

AND JOBBERS OF 

JEWELRY, 

90 WASHINGTON ST., BOSTON, MASS. 

JENEINSON <fc KEITZ, 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

MANTEL & PIER LOOKING-GLASSES 

Ornamental Portrait Frames, 

French, English, and German Engravings, 

124 CLARK STREET, CHICAGO. 

“li. Iv V 11 N & CO., 

Importers and Manufacturers of 

Optical and Mathematical Instruments 

SPECTACLES, &c., 

£>3£> Broadway, New York. 

Dr. J. W. CULBERTSON, 

OCULIST & AURIST 

RICHMOND, INDIANA. 

Dr. Culbertson attends exclusively to this important Specialty, and performs every 
operation connected with Ophthalmic and JLural Surgery, such as for Cataract, 
Artificial Pupil, Cross Eyes, Tarsal Tumors, Closure of the Tear Duct, Polypus, Excision 
of the Tonsils, &c. Catarrh, and certain diseases of the throat which frequently cause 
Dee /and Noises in the Head, will also receive special attention. 

JOHN HUGHES SON, 

PLUMBERS, 

Gas Fitters, and Dealers in Plumbers’ Goods, 

N.W, Cor. Dearborn & Washington Sts., Ohiclgo. 


















•- - mw-ymmim tmo a hi ht yu minmkm 

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lOYrutt odT .aodoiti SI oi St moil lo dipnoi I‘.;ool & V» /umiffl 
r» ire i>o$rr 0 «m jd ira« ^oihni & .juotffi "i>, •jodemr.id •/? -aoi Mirada 
futoid b ddiw ^doioq-iiddirg to f mod dbd«~ododiod lo ommi ddgd 
aot-noq riilaofh A .vfourooa Mod gidod ad lo .•;/•• d>« oi t nih 
jbo/oam ; u -jiuiovfra lo uiom an lo rfd/la-oao ixxodB lodefludb) 
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. 0 rami'odd xil osfe faifpo.lo ^fliqoqo .id s airaoqao'noo aidd oT 
to oottixd&ih Iftool b wad Mirada axtol xovxioo leonodqis oil 
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f>m>ra*rm-m 1 t 0qo-.>j.oinij5ilif(q<> odd lo xrohrantarn moor ’o/i) . 

ts ,Y to^tix^ oiodfididqO ** oo Mood vm od x*o^ 
0dol» /dl yd ©lag id eoy^i MioriinA bm aoqobaomMdddqO 

(Jv.n- 1 % dr: 10 Hof ^qiiddl 





Kt- C v\\ 

fSC, 



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) ■' { / f ) ■:1 , / / '.'l HT (! 




Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, 

By JOHN PHILLIPS, 

In the Clerk’s Office of the United States District Court of the Northern 
District of Illinois. 

WD/JV- . ■ n\i/ iAHAJAt.l 



.XtfLt - ! V< V f. 5$A10l't 



riot 



: • i . IMS j H ■ . 

CHICAGO: 

ROBERT FERGUS’ SONS, PRINTERS, 
244-248 Illinois Street. 






PREFACE. 


The following essay is so short that there is no occasion for 
a long preface to introduce it to the reader’s notice. One of 
the principal ends of it is do away a general prejudice in favor 
of spectacles, namely, that they act as preservers; a prejudice 
which has caused numbers to use glasses, before they could be 
of any essential service; who thereby force their eyes into an 
unnatural state, and bring on a very unpleasant habit. To 
remedy this evil the marks are distinctly pointed out which 
determine when the use of glasses will be serviceable to the eye. 
By an attention to the rules here laid down, they will be taught 
neither to anticipate evil, by a premature use of spectacles, nor, 
by too long a delay, to strain and injure their sight. 

A second end was, to diffuse more generally a knowledge of 
the subject among the venders of this article, particularly those 
who live in the country; and this was the more necessary as 
numerous instances are continually occurring to every optician 
of those whose sight has been injured by an improper choice of 
spectacles. 

The nature of the essay has given me an opportunity of point¬ 
ing out rules for the preservation of the sight, and avoiding 
what may be hurtful to it. Among the latter, the two princi¬ 
pal articles are, the use of reading-glasses and opaque shades 
to candles; both of which, I have reason to think, are extremely 
prejudicial to the eyes. 



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INTRODUCTION. 


Every one who examines or attempts to treat of the interest¬ 
ing subject of vision, finds himself compelled to exclaim in 
terms of highest admiration of the superior beauty and contriv¬ 
ance of its inimitable organs, the eyes. Whether we take into 
consideration the brilliancy of structure so remarkable in that 
organ, the complication and rapidity of its movements, or its 
exquisite sensibility, we are equally astonished and delighted. 

We have said that it is the most beautiful of all organs of 
the senses; it is, likewise, the most important and, therefore, 
the most valued. All the other organs are necessary to the 
well-being of the individual, but there is none so essential as 
that of vision. It is, evidently, the great inlet to the higher 
road of knowledge. It is capable of imparting to the mind 
information relative to objects so vast that the other senses 
cannot grasp them, and of bodies so minute as to elude the 
most delicate and refined tact. It recognizes objects, whether 
placed in the immeasurable wilds of space, or at a distance of 
a hair’s breadth. 

Possessing such power, we perceive that it is with justice 
that the eye has been termed the “window of the soul.” Its 
importance is further apparent, when we consider what a 
lengthened, tedious, and unintelligible account we receive in 
words, which, if directed to the eye, either actually or by rep¬ 
resentation, would be comprehended in all its bearings. Thus, 



6 


INTRODUCTION. 


we shall often obtain more information concerning objects at a 
single glance, occupying but an instant of time, than by a whole 
hour’s description addressed to the mind through the ear. To 
many*mysterious things, must a blind man give credit, if he will 
believe the relation of those who can see. 

It requires no argument to prove that the loss of so impor¬ 
tant a function as that of vision is one of the greatest misfor¬ 
tunes that can befall us. It would appear still more incredible 
to such beings as we have supposed, if they were informed of 
the discoveries that may be made by this little organ, in things 
far beyond the reach of any other sense. That, by means of it, 
we can find our way on the pathless ocean, traverse the earth, 
determine its size and figure, measure planetary orbs, and make 
discoveries in the fixed stars. Would it not appear still more 
strange to these beings, if they should be, further informed 
that, by means of this organ, we can perceive the temper, dis¬ 
positions, affections, and passions of our fellow-creatures, even 
when they most desire to conceal them; that, by this organ, we 
can. often perceive what is straight and crooked in the mind, as 
well as the body; that it participates in every mental emotion, 
the softest as well as the most violent; that it exhibits these 
emotions with force, and infuses into the soul of the spectator 
the fire and agitation of that mind in which they originate. 

It is not, therefore, without reason that the faculty of seeing 
is looked upon as a more noble one than the other senses, as 
having something in it superior to sensation, as the language of 
intelligence, the evidence of reason, so-called; not feeling, 
smelling, tasting; nay, we express the manner of the divine 
knowledge of seeing, as that kind of knowledge which, is most 
perfect in ourselves. t 


ADVICE 


ON THE USES AND ABUSES OF 

SPECTACLES. 


IMPERFECT SIGHT. 

There is no branch of science of which it is more important 
that a general knowledge should be diffused, than that branch 
w T hich treats of the various imperfections of sight, and the 
remedies for them. 

To relieve an organ which is the source of the most refined 
pleasure, is certainly a desirable object. To determine whether 
spectacles will be advantageous or detrimental, and what kind 
will best suit their sight; and so instruct those who already 
use glasses that they may discover whether those they have 
chosen are adapted to the imperfection of their sight, or are 
such as will increase their complaint and weaken their eyes, 
are subjects worthy the consideration of every individual, and 
constitute the principal business of this work. To this end, we 
shall, in the first place, explain what we mean by imperfection 
of sight. 

We here understand by imperfection of sight, an absolute or 
relative-debility of it, without any opacity, either in the cornea 
or other internal part of the eye, and without disease of the 
retina or optic nerve. 

The sight is relatively imperfect when we cannot see an 
object distinctly in a common light, and at, the usual distance 



8 


ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 


at which it is observed by an eye in the perfect state. In this 
sense, both the long and the short-sighted are said to have 
imperfect sight. The short-sighted see distant objects con¬ 
fusedly, those that are near at hand distinctly; their sight is, 
therefore, defective with respect %k distant objects. On the 
other hand, the long-sighted see distant objects distinctly, and 
near objects confusedly. An imperfect sight is caused by a 
confusion in thie image formed upon the retina. This happens 
when all the rays that proceed from any one point of an object 
are not united again into one, but fall upon different points of 
the retina; or whenever several pencils of light, from different 
points of an object, terminate upon one point of the image. 

This species of confusion takes place both in long and short¬ 
sighted eyes. An imperfect sight differs from an amaurosis or 
gutta serena; for in the latter, the sight is entirely lost, and 
the pupil becomes immovable; though, if one eye remains sound, 
the pupil of the blind eye will move with the pupil of the sound 
one; but if the sound one be shut, the pupil of the blind eye 
will be destitute of its motion. 


SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 

Short-sightedness is that state of vision in which a person 
can see objects perfectly, only when they are at a very short 
distance from the eyes ; nine inches, or less, being the greatest 
distance at which objects can be plainly seem It is owing 
either to too great refractive power of the refractive media of 
the eye, or to the distance of the retina behind the crystalline 
being too great; So that in either case, rays of light come to a 
focus before arriving at the retina, cross, and are in a state of 
dissipation, when they do impinge on the nervous membrane, 
and therefore form indistinct and confused images. By bring¬ 
ing the object near the eyes, it is distinctly seen, because the 
rays from it, which enter the eyes, being now more divergent 
than when it was at a distance, are not so soon brought to a 
focus; in other words, the different points of the object, as foci 



ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 


9 


of incident rays, and the focus to which these rays are brought 
in the interior of the eye by the refractive media, to conjugate 
focus, arid, accordingly, when the foci of incident rays are 
brought nearer the refractive media, the foci of refracted rays 
recede from them. 

Too great a refractive power of the media of the eye may be 
owing either to too great a convexity of their curvatures—the 
curvatures of the cornea and crystalline—or too great refractive 
density, or both conjointly. 

The situation of the retina at too great a distance behind the 
crystalline body may be owing either to a preternatural elon¬ 
gation of the eyeball, Or to the lens being nearer the cornea 
than usual. 

In short-sightedness, the power of adjusting the eye to differ¬ 
ent distances is still retained, but Within certain limits, thus: 
the nearest distance may be from two to four inches, the fur¬ 
thest from six to twelve inches. 

The peculiarities of short-sighted persons are: 1st. They see 
small objects more distinctly than other people, because, from 
their nearness, the objects are viewed under a longer visual 
angle. 

2d. They see them also with a weaker light, because the 
object being near, a greater quantity of rays from them arrive 
at the eye. Hence, they can read small print with a weak 
light. 

3d. But they can also see more distinctly, and somewhat 
farther off, by a strong light than by a weaker one, because the 
pupil is contracted by the strong light,, and all but the more 
direct rays of light hereby excluded. On the same principle, 
they see at some distance distinctly through a pin-hole in a 
card; and when they try to view distant objects, they half 
close their eyelids. The rays of light in these cases have their 
divergence at the same time somewhat increased by diffraction. 

4th. They sometimes see objects beyond the limit of their 
distinct vision, double, and sometimes multiplied. 

Subjects of Short-sightedness .—This defect of vision seldom 
occurs in so great a degree before puberty as to be troublesome ; 


10 ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 

when in a great degree in children, it may be a symptom of a 
central cataract. 

After puberty, when the eyes come to be used in earnest, 
short-sightedness is usually first discovered to exist, and it may 
go on gradually increasing, especially if a person use his eyes 
much in reading, and on minute objects; as the greater fre¬ 
quency of short-sightedness among the educated classes and 
those whose occupation with minute objects will show. 

Myopia sometimes occurs in old persons, whose vision was 
previously good for ordinary distances. 

To persons whose occupation is with minute objects, short¬ 
sightedness, unless in a very great degree, is rather an advan¬ 
tage, as they are enabled to observe all the details of their 
work very accurately; and, in the ordinary exercise of vision, 
the use of concave glasses is a ready and simple help. 

When a tendency to short-sightedness manifests itself in 
young persons, and especially if the future occupation of the 
person is to be of a kind requiring good vision for distant ob¬ 
jects, much exertion of . the eyes on minute work should be 
avoided, and the eyes exercised on large and distant objects. 

Concave glasses help the vision of short-sighted persons for 
distant objects, simply by increasing the divergence of the rays 
of light before they enter the eye, so that they may be less 
speedily brought to a focus than they would otherwise have, 
been, in consequence of the increased refractive power of. the 
media of the eye; or, supposing the refractive power of the 
media of the eye not increased, but the distance of the retina 
behind the lens increased, that they may be brought to a focus 
at a greater distance behind the lens than it would otherwise 
have been, in order to correspond with the greater distance of 
the retina behind the lens. Concave glasses are made of dif¬ 
ferent degrees of concavity; the shallower being those adapted 
for the slighter degrees of short-sightedness, the more concave 
for the greater degrees. 

When very short-sighted, a person requires the use of con¬ 
cave glasses, not only to be enabled to see distant objects, but 
also for reading with, in order to avoid the necessity for stop- 


ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 


11 


ping. Less short-sighted people use glasses only to see distant 
objects. 

The focal length of the concave glass which a person will 
require to see objects at more than two or three hundred yards 
distance, should be equal to the distance at which he can see 
to read distinctly an ordinary type with the naked eye six 
inches, for example. 

The focal length of a concave glass which a very short¬ 
sighted person will require to read at a convenient distance is 
determined thus: suppose he can see to read with the naked 
,eye at the distance of six inches, and desires to be able to read 
at the distance of twelve, the one distance is to be multiplied 
by the other, and. the product, seventy-tw T o, divided by the dif¬ 
ference between the two distances, viz., six. The quotient, 
twelve, is the number of inches the focal length of the glass 
required should be. 

The following are the circumstances which should guide him 
to his choice:— 

The glasses should be the lowest power which will enable him 
to distinguish objects as he wishes, quite readily and clearly, 
and at the same time comfortably., If they should make ob¬ 
jects appear small and very bright, and if in using them the 
person should feel his eyes strained or fatigued, or if he be¬ 
comes dizzy, and if, after putting them asidp, the vision is ob¬ 
scure, they are not fit for his purpose, as they are too conpave. 
Having once fitted himself, a person should not too hastily 
change his glasses, although they may appear not to enable 
him to see quite so clearly as when he first used them. A 
glass to each eye should always be used; vision is by this 
means clearer, and its exercise less fatiguing to the eyes, than 
when a glass to one eye only is used. The use of a glass to 
one eye only is, in fact, very detrimental, especially to the op¬ 
posite eye. 

Appearance presented by the Eyes of Myopic Persons .—In 
many cases, there is nothing peculiar to be observed; but fre¬ 
quently the eyes are prominent and firm, the cornea, very con¬ 
vex, the anterior chamber deep, the pupil dilated, the crystal- 


12 


ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 


line lens more convex, and the “pigmentum nigrum” more 
diluted and of a higher color. 

TREATMENT. 

There is a peculiar condition of sight liable to be mistaken 
for myopia, but which I am inclined, with Dr. Walker, to refer 
to a congenital weakness of the retina. Such persons cannot 
see distant objects as well as other people; but they can distin¬ 
guish tolerably large distant' objects better than small ones, 
and the effort required to make out small type is frequently 
productive of fatigue in the eyes. As they habitually approach 
objects nearer the eyes than natural, they pass for near-sighted 
people. But these are the points of difference: a true myope, 
having found his points of distinct vision, can read or write for 
any length of time, without fatigue, and Can see clearly, even 
in a feeble light. This vision of distant objects, too, is mate¬ 
rially assisted by the use of concave glasses. 

The amblyope (as the other may be called, from the dulness 
of his sight,) always requires a strong light, and that only for 
a short time. Concave glasses, instead of assisting, rather con¬ 
fuse his vision, and diminish objects. Convex glasses of a low 
power, on the other hand, rather assist him. 

In such cases, slightly magnifying glasses may, by increasing 
the dimensions of small objects, diminish the fatigue of the 
eyes; but they should not be granted Without due caution. I 
have known instances of children having been punished for 
supposed stupidity, they not learning to read as quickly as 
Others, but slowly and with many mistakes, blundering over 
their spelling. This really depends, in some cases, on imper¬ 
fect sight, and the child, with every desire to do his best, is 
unable to distinguish the letters quickly. In these cases, en¬ 
couragement, rather than punishment, is needed; the child 
should have large type, plenty of light, and not be kept at his 
lessons too long at one time; his general health should be 
strengthened, and the eyes and head freely bathed in cold 
water two or three times a day, and twenty drops of muriated 
tincture of iron twice a day. The question often arises as to 
whether young boys should be sent to public schools. I am 


ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 


13 


quite of the opinion that those laboring under defective vision 
should not; For, being physically unable to compete with other 
boys, they are placed in a false position; whilst it is quite im¬ 
possible that they can receive from the masters that patience 
and attention necessary for their advancement. Thus, they 
are kept back in every respect, are laughed at by schoolfellows, 
and the unfair character of dunces allotted to them. 

That a power of adjusting the focus of the eye to different 
distances exists in the healthy eye, is proved as follows :•— 

Let a person place a couple of thin objects fifteen or twenty 
yards asunder, in a line with one eye (the other being shut), 
and let the nearest object be a yard from the eye; on fixing 
the eye on the nearest object, he will perceive the distant one 
to be indistinct, and on looking at the distant object, the near 
one will become indistinct; and on each change of the object of 
the vision he will become conscious of an alteration in the ad-; 
justment of the anterior of the eye. 

If, then, a person employs himself for long periods together, 
and that for successive days, in reading, microscopical observa¬ 
tions, or other pursuits requiring close application, he becomes, 
not strictly near-sighted in the general acceptation of the term, 
for he does not hold objects much nearer the eyes than usual, 
but he finds that he discerns distant objects less and less dis¬ 
tinctly. In fact, he finds that the eyes being exercised so much 
in adjusting the focus for near objects, lose the power of adjust¬ 
ment to the focus for distant objects. 

The prevalence of conpave spectacles among the Americans, 
who are great readers, is proverbial; and many must have 
noticed the same prevalence at our universities. Mr. Ware 
found, out of 127 students in one college in Oxford, 32 who 
used either a hand-glass or spectacles. Indeed, I believe that 
few persons of studious and sedentary habits entirely escape 
the consequence of their labors. The public are little aware 
of the extent to which, the studious, and those who live by the 
exercise of their intellect, suffer from imperfection of sight. 

Many instances have fallen under my notice of poor students 
and writers whose poverty compelled them to pursue their lit- 


14 


ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 


erary avocations in the gloom of dusky apartments, or by the 
aid of a dim candle, and who have become myopic and ambly¬ 
opic in consequence. And scarcely less numerous, are those 
who, though pursuing their labors under more favorable circum¬ 
stances, are equally visited with this affliction. It would ap¬ 
pear that even the study of ophthalmic science may cause the 
same penalties to be paid; for M. Desmarres informs us, that 
one of his pupils became very myopic by exerting his eye too 
much in the diagnosis of diseases of the eye; a sad result of 
most rare industry! 

The progress of this infliction is generally by insensible de¬ 
grees, and it often happens that the person in whom it is com¬ 
mencing is warned of it more by his own feeling than by the 
remarks of others, who notice that, when studying or regarding 
objects, he holds his face nearer than it was his wont. After 
a time, however, he is sensible that he cannot distinguish dis¬ 
tant objects as quickly as formerly ; that the eye does not seize 
them at once, and when seen they are indistinct; and when the 
affection has made still more progress, they cannot be seen at 
all. If, in the very earliest stage, a low' convex glass be held 
• to the eye, vision is rather assisted; but when the abnormal 
condition is established, convex glasses cease to render aid, and 
concaves are required. 

If this infliction is induced in an adult, whose eyes have been 
previously strong, it may be overcome without much difficulty, 
if taken in time; but when the subjects of it are feeble, stru¬ 
mous youths, in whom the intellectual powders are more vigorous 
than the bodily, and who have, perhaps, suffered in infancy 
from constitutional weakness of the eyes, the case is much more 
unmanageable, and the prospects of cure much less favorable. 

The popular idea that the eyes of near-sighted persons are 
rendered fitter for seeing as they advance in years, is not borne 
out by experience. The subject has been investigated by Dr. 
Walker, whose astute mind is well qualified for such enquiries, 
says: “It has been very generally, if not universally, asserted 
by systematic writers on vision, that the short-sighted are ren¬ 
dered by age fitter for seeing distant objects than they were in 


advice on Short-sightedness. 15 

their youth; hut this opinion appears to me unfounded in fact, 
and to rest altogether upon a false analogy. If those who pos¬ 
sess ordinary vision when young, become, from flatness of the 
cornea, or other changes in the mere structure of the eye, long¬ 
sighted as they approach old age, it follows that the short¬ 
sighted must, from similar changes, become better fitted to see 
distant objects. 

It is generally supposed that the short-sighted become less so 
as they advance in years, and the natural shrinking and decay 
in the humors of the eye lessen its convexity, and thus adapt it 
better for viewing distant objects ; but among the great number 
of short-sighted people that I have accommodated with glasses, 
I have never found the reverse of this theory to be true, and 
the eyes of myopes never required glasses less concave, hut, 
generally, more concave, as they grow older, to enable them to 
see at the same distance. 

I have lost on opportunity of enquiring of myopic persons 
whether their sight had improved, and I cannot call to mind a 
single instance in which the reply was decidedly in the affirma¬ 
tive. One case, especially, occurs to me: A lady, 82 years of 
age, who is a patient of Dr. Walker’s, told me that, as long as 
she could remember, she had used No. 8 myopic glasses, and 
that, with them, she could read the smallest type and thread a 
needle with the greatest facility; but, most decidedly, her sight 
had not changed, as tb focus, within her recollection. I exam¬ 
ined her eyes and glasses very carefully, and satisfied myself of 
the power of the latter. 

One of the most frequent questions of patrons at my office is, 
“Do you think, sir, that spectacles will be of use to me?” It 
matters little whether the sight be impaired by overwork, by 
congestion, by debility, or by opacities of the cornea; the same 
idea is current in the minds of the poor. They often try them, 
and if they do not find assistance from ordinary spectacles, they 
take to colored glasses, green or blue, as an improvement on 
the former. I need scarcely say, unless really called for, spec¬ 
tacles do more harm than good; and, for reasons hereafter to 
be given, such colored glasses are inadmissible; not only are 


16 : ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 

they injurious and exciting, complimentary colors, but they are 
apt to render an eye over-susceptible to light, and if there be 
retinal; congestion, it cannot fail to be aggravated by the addi¬ 
tional effort to see objects but dimly illuminated; therefore, in 
cases where the sight is impaired, but where no intolerance of 
light exists, the habitual use of colored glasses is highly objec¬ 
tionable. 

I have noticed that young persons, about the age of puberty, 
after severely trying their eyes upon minute objects, as in paint¬ 
ing, embroidering, and the like, suddenly become short-sighted. 
They and their friends are alarmed at their being no longer 
able to see objects on the opposite side of the street, which a 
few days before they were able to distinguish with ease. The 
effort necessary for seeing small objects is attended with pain, 
and, instead of fifteen or twenty inches, at which the patient 
used to read, the book must be brought as near to the eyes as 
six, or eight inches. Sudden myopia is most apt to occur in 
boys, sent to learn such trades as watchmaking or engraving, 
or in young ladies at school occupied with music, painting, em¬ 
broidering, and other pursuits requiring continued and keen 
employment of sight. In these cases, the intense application 
has temporarily paralyzed, as it were, the adjustment to distant 
objects, and the proper course to pursue is, to give the eyes 
rest for a few days, when they will recover their natural con¬ 
dition. Frequent bathing of the eyes with cold water will re¬ 
lieve any congestion of the vessels. I have also found great 
relief by applying concentrated tincture of capsicum, by rub¬ 
bing it for a few minutes, daily, over the forehead and temples 
with a sponge; but care should be taken not to allow it to 
enter the eye. 

The circumstance of eyes differing in their focal length is a 
common occurrence, and needs but a few words on the proper 
course to be pursued. There is a very general impression that 
one eye is stronger than the other, the right being supposed to 
be the. strongest, partly, perhaps, from its being preferred for 
looking at objects when one eye only is required, as in taking 
aim in shooting, using a microscope or telescope, etc. Conven- 


ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. l'f 

ience has much to do with this, the right arm and the right eye 
corresponding in action; when, however, there is really a dif¬ 
ference in the vision of the eyes, it may be found how far this 
depends on the focal length, by placing an open book at the 
ordinary reading distance. 

We also occasionally find that one eye will be myopic and 
the other presbyopic, a condition of vision embarrassing both 
to the patient and to the surgeon, but the nature of which may 
easily be ascertained by a careful trial with glasses, and look¬ 
ing at the page with the eyes alternately, the one not used be¬ 
ing closed. Supposing, then, that the type appears distinct to 
the right eye but confused to the left, the book should be slowly 
drawn nearer, and if the focus of the left eye is shorter than 
that of its fellow, the type will become distinct at a certain dis¬ 
tance; one or more inches less than the ordinary distance. To 
make the point more certain, the vision of the left eye can be 
made equal with the other, by holding before it a slightly con¬ 
cave glass if the difference be trifling, or a higher power if the 
inequality be great. 

It is important to all persons, but especially to the young, 
and to those whose position in life requires much exercise of 
the eyes, that they should have the benefit of both, and that 
all the labor should not be thrown on one, as necessarily hap¬ 
pens in the condition of vision under consideration, a condition 
sometimes produced by the carelessness of inferior opticians or 
the hawkers of cheap spectacles ? who sell lenses of different 
focal lengths in frames intended for persons whose eyes are 
equal; or -vyho supply those eyes in which there is an inequality 
in the foci with duplicate glasses, rendering, in each case, one 
eye useless. 

In early life, the vision of the eyes may often be brought 
into harmony by blindfolding the perfect eye and patiently 
practising the other at the utmost distance, increasing that dis¬ 
tance by small but steady degrees, avoiding rapid or vacillating 
changes. If this does not suffice, practise, with lenses hereafter 
to be described, will be proper; but if circumstances prevent 
the exercise being satisfactorily carried out, it will be necessary 
2 


18 


ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 


to have a spectacle frame made with a lens for the imperfect 
eye, just sufficiently strong to equalize the vision. The circle 
before the perfect eye should be blank, but in order to counter¬ 
act the weight of the lens (which would throw the frame out of 
its proper position), the empty side of the frame should be made 
heavier than the other. 

Near-sighted persons are very apt to stoop while engaged in 
study. To avoid a practice so injurious to the figure and health, 
they should use a high desk when reading or writing; and if 
glasses are indispensable, such only should be used as just suf¬ 
fice to enable the parties to pursue their occupations at the 
ordinary reading distance, that of fourteen inches. Small type, 
sketchings, microscopical pursuits, and objects requiring close 
inspection, should be avoided; the individual should overcome 
his natural tendency to a cramped hand, and write boldly and 
freely; and be the pursuit what it may, in which he is engaged, 
the greatest possible distance should be maintained between his 
eyes and the object. 

In all cases of myopia, and especially in early life, or when 
the affection is just commencing, it is highly important that 
any tendency to an over supply to the eyes should be counter¬ 
acted by a proper amount of bodily exercise, and every oppor¬ 
tunity should be embraced for exercising the eyes on distant 
objects. Near-sight is comparatively rare in persons engaged 
in agricultural pursuits, and is almost, if not quite, unknown 
among those uncivilized nations whose eyes are constantly prac¬ 
tised in nomadic warfare or the chase. 

Near-sight may be acquired in early youth, by the habit 
common to infants, of approaching their eyes very close to any 
object on which their attention may happen to be engaged. 
Observe a group of children learning to write or draw, almost 
all with their faces sideways and their tongues in one corner of 
their mouths, nearly touching with their cheeks the paper or 
slate on which they are laboriously accomplishing their task. 
Many infants have been rendered short-sighted, and many have 
acquired squints, from constantly playing with toys; for, as the 
visual axis converges when objects are held near the eyes, fre- 


ADVICE ON SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS. 


19 


quent repetition of this may end in strabismus. And I may 
here remark, that strict attention should be paid to the position 
of an infant’s sleeping cot, and to the attitude in which it is 
placed in its nurse’s arms. The eyes of the infant ever seek 
the light, and many an unsightly cast has been entailed on a 
child by its being always placed with one and the same side to 
a candle or a window. The light in the nursery should not be 
too much on one side of the cradle, nor should a candle or lamp, 
in the evening, be so placed that the eyes of the child are dis¬ 
torted when looking at it. There is sound judgment in print¬ 
ing children’s books in good, bold type, in encouraging them 
to observe distant objects, and in inviting them to describe 
what they see in landscapes. 

Near-sighted children are often fond of books, and love to 
pore over some favorite story, in a quiet corner, for hours to¬ 
gether. They should be watched, and compelled to hold their 
heads ten or twelve inches from the page, and the same in the 
schoolroom. Such children are obliged, during music lessons, 
to lean forward in a very unseemly manner, to distinguish the 
notes. To obviate this, a sliding bookstand should be attached 
to the piano, and should be drawn forward when the child is 
practising. As, however, some musical instruments will not 
admit of such an arrangement, spectacles of a low power may 
be used at that time, and at that timfe only; and the lesson 
should not exceed half an hour, without a pause of a few min¬ 
utes for the eyes to rest. 

Insufficiency of light in rooms where children receive instruc¬ 
tion, or where they are taught mechanical work is a cause of 
near-sight, and, occasionally, even more serious mischief. Care 
should, therefore, be taken that the school and working rooms 
should be properly and sufficiently lighted. 


FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 

To detail those circumstances which are, in general, marks of 
advancing age, and always of pattial infirmity, must be ever 
unpleasant, and would be equally unnecessary, if it were not for 



20 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 


the means of lessening the inconvenience attendant on those 
stages of life. By long-sightedness, remote objects are seen 
distinctly, near ones confusedly, and, in proportion, as this 
increases, the nearer the objects, the more indistinct they be¬ 
come, till at length it is found almost impossible to read com¬ 
mon-sized print without assistance. An imperfect image is 
formed upon the retina, because the rays of light which come 
from the several points of an object, at an ordinary distance, 
are not sufficiently refracted, and, therefore, do not meet on 
the retina, but beyond it. Various are the causes which may 
occasion this defect: If the convexity of the cornea be lessened, 
or if either side of the crystalline becomes flatter, this effect will 
be produced; if the retina be not sufficiently removed from the 
cornea or crystalline, or if the retina be too near the cornea or 
crystalline, it will give rise to the same defect, as will also a 
less refractive power in the pellucid parts of the eye. In like 
manner, too great proximity of the objects will prevent the rays 
from uniting till they are beyond the retina. But if all these 
causes occur together, the effect is greater. This defect is how¬ 
ever, in general, attributed to a shrinking of the humors of the 
eye, which causes the cornea and crystalline lens to lose their 
original convexity, and become flatter. The same cause will 
bring the retina too near the cornea. 

Another change which the eye undergoes in age is the im¬ 
pairment of its power of adjustment. 

As we advance in life, not only does the refractive power of 
the eye diminish, but we lose the power of accommodating the 
organ to near objects. 

The eye, in its state of perfect indolent vision, is adapted 
only to distant objects, and it cannot see near objects distinctly 
but by an effort. This effort, long persevered in, becomes pain¬ 
ful, whereas, the regarding of distant objects can be continued 
without any feeling of fatigue. The power to make the peculiar 
effort in question, is partially or totally lost by the presbyopic 
eye; a fact analogous to the diminished activity which takes 
place in all the functions of the body as life advances. 

The symptoms of presbyopia, then, are: Difficulty in dis- 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 


21 


cernmg close objects; so that a person who, in early life, could 
read ordinary print, with ease, at twelve or fourteen inches, is 
now obliged to hold a book two feet, or even further, from his 
eyes; and the act of threading a needle, or nibbing a pen, be¬ 
comes fatiguing to the eyes, if not almost impossible, excepting 
when assisted by an increase of light. Employing them at fine 
work for any considerable length of time, induces headache 
and uneasiness about the brows and forehead. These symp¬ 
toms may be accounted for thus: In consequence of the object 
being removed to a greater distance, the visual angle, the quan¬ 
tity of light, and the picture on the retina become smaller; so 
small, indeed, as to render it difficult for the retina, with its 
impaired sensibility, duly to appreciate it without effort and a 
considerable increase of light. The diminished size of the 
pupils, which attends declining years, increases the necessity 
for more light. 

With this state of vision the person can see objects distinctly 
only when they are at a very considerable distance from the 
eyes; in reading, for example, he holds the book at arm’s 
length. 

Far-sightedness being in almost all respects the converse of 
short-sightedness, the best way of discussing it here will be to 
reverse the account given of short-sightedness, and which will 
therefore stand thus:— 

Far-sightedness is owing either to diminished refractive 
power of the refractive media of the eyes, or to the distance of 
the retina behind the crystalline body being too short; so that 
in either case the rays of light tend to come to a focus at a 
point behind the retina, on which, therefore, they impinge in 
circles of dissipation, and form indistinct and confused images. 

By removing the object from the eyes, it comes to be dis¬ 
tinctly seen, because the rays from it which enter the eye, be¬ 
ing now less divergent than when it was near, are more quickly 
brought to a focus; in other words, the different points of the 
object as foci of incident rays, and the foci to which these rays 
are brought in the interior of the eye by the refractive media, 
are conjugate foci; and accordingly, when the foci of incident 


22 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 


rays are removed from the refractive media, the foci of refracted 
rays come nearer them. 

Diminished refractive power of the media of the eye may be 
owing to diminution of the convexity of their curvatures, flat- 
ening of the cornea and crystalline. As to refractive density, 
there is probably an increase rather than a diminution of it, but 
this appears to be more,'than overbalanced by the diminution of 
curvature. 

The situation of the retina too near the crystalline may be 
owing either to a preternatural shortening of the axis of the 
eyeball, or a receding .of the lens from the cornea. 

In far-sightedness, the power of adjusting the eye to different 
distances is much weakened. In this respect, far-sightedness 
differs from short-sightedness, in which the power of adjust¬ 
ment is still retained. In far-sightedness, it may be said that 
the habitual adjustment of the eye is for distant objects, and 
that in trying to read, for example, the power of adjustment is 
exerted to the utmost; hence the fatigue and confusion of vision 
which soon ensue. 

Appearances presented by the Eyes of Far-sighted People .— 
In many cases, there is nothing peculiar to be observed; but 
frequently the eyes are sunk, the cornea flat, and of small 
diameter, and the pupil contracted. 

Peculiarities of Vision of Far-sighted People .—1. They see 
small objects indistinctly at every distance, because when near 
they are out of focus, and when removed from the eye some¬ 
what they are seen at a small visual angle and with little light. 
By increasing the light, they see better. Hence, they do not 
see so well by candle-light as beforehand when attempting to 
read by candle-light, they place, perhaps, the candle between 
them and the book held at arm’s length. 2. They see large 
and distant objects very distinctly. 3. In most presbyopic per¬ 
sons, Dr. N. Arnott has ascertained that double vision in the 
eyes strongly exists in a slight degree. 

Subjects of Far-sightedness. —Far-sightedness seldom occurs 
except in persons who have passed middle age, and in them it 
is so common, that it is to be viewed as a natural change in the 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 23 

state of the eye. As it occurs in young persons, it will be 
spoken of under the head of Asthenopy. 

Prevention and Treatment .—Though instances have occurred 
of persons who have been long presbyopic, recovering their for¬ 
mer vision, and thereby being enabled to lay aside the use of 
their spectacles, recovery from presbyopy is not to be calculated 
on ; but this is of small moment, as vision can be perfectly as- j 
sisted by means of spectacles. Something, however, may be 
done in the way of preserving the sight by avoiding overexer- 
tion of the eyes in reading and other minute work, especially 
by artificial light, at the time of life when far-sightedness, with 
diminution of adjusting power, usually comes on. 

Convex glasses help the vision of far-sighted people for near 
objects, by diminishing the divergence of the rays of light be¬ 
fore they enter the eye, so that they may be more speedily 
brought to foci than they would otherwise have been, in con¬ 
sequence of the diminished refractive power of the eye; or, 
supposing the refractive power of the eye not diminished, but 
the distance of the retina behind the lens diminished, that they 
may be brought to foci at a less distance behind the lens, than 
they would otherwise have been, in order to correspond with 
the diminished distance of the retina behind the lens. 

Convex glasses are made of different degrees of convexity: 
the least convex being those adapted for the slighter degrees of 
far-sightedness, the more convex for the greater degrees. 

To see distant objects, far-sighted persons do not, in general, 
require convex glasses. It is most commonly to enable them 
to read and do minute work that far-sighted people use spec¬ 
tacles. . 

If it is only at a very great distance that a person can see 
distinctly, the focal length of the convex glasses which he will 
require to enable him to read will be equal to the distance at 
which he wishes to see to read. 

If he is not so very far-sighted, but can see small objects dis¬ 
tinctly, at twenty inches distance, for example, the focal length 
of the convex glasses which he will require to enable him to 
read at twelve inches distance, is determined by multiplying the 


24 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 

two distances together, and dividing the product, 240, by the 
difference between them, viz.: 8. The quotient, 80, is the focal 
length in inches of the glasses required. 

The following are the circumstances which should guide him 
in his choice:—The glasses should be of the lowest power which 
will enable him to see objects distinctly as he wishes, and at the 
same time comfortably. Glasses which make the objects ap¬ 
pear larger than natural, and strain and fatigue the eyes and 
cause headache, are not adapted to his case—they are too con¬ 
vex. It is usually found that glasses the next degree more con¬ 
vex are required for work by artificial light. 

The alteration in the eye on which the far-sightedness de¬ 
pends, generally goes on to increase with age; hence it is nec¬ 
essary, after a time, a few years, to change the glasses first 
chosen for others more cotivex. In regard to this exchange it 
is to be observed, that it ought not to be too hastily had re¬ 
course to, nor, on the other hand, too long delayed. The same 
feeling of necessity which first prompted to the use of glasses, 
will indicate the necessity of change. 

It is a not uncommon notion that glasses of certain focal 
lengths are adapted to certain ages, but this is erroneous. 
Still, though the choice of glasses cannot be determined by the 
mere age of the person, there is a certain average relation be¬ 
tween the age and the focal length of the convex glass required, 
which is expressed in the following table:— 

Age in years,—-—40 r 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 100. 

Focal length in inches,—36, 30, 24, 20, 16, 14, 12, 10, 9 4 8, 7, 6. 

Reading G-lass .—This it a double convex lens, broad enough 
to permit both eyes to see through it. It is used, for the pur¬ 
pose of magnifying the object; whereas, convex Spectacles are 
used merely to render objects distinct at a given distance, with¬ 
out magnifying them as above mentioned. 

The color and consistence of crystalline humor alters with 
age: it is thicker, cloudy, and less transparent as we advance 
in years; which is one reason, among others, why many elderly 
people do not reap all the benefits from spectacles which we 
might naturally expect. 


25 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 

There is, usually, little in the appearance of the eyes to 
account for the changes. This, indeed, may he Expected; for 
although the cornea, in the majority of cases, is, perhaps, some¬ 
what diminished in convexity, yet it is not perceptible. The 
inefficiency of the eyes probably depends less on the altered 
form of the cornea, than upon that of any other media of the 
organ, especially of the crystalline lens. The eyes of an old 
person are commonly sunken in their sockets; but this is de¬ 
pendent upon the general absorption of the adipose tissue of 
the orbits, as well as of the body generally, which is one of the 
phenomena of age. It is the diminution of the aqueous con¬ 
tents of the globe, in combination with peculiar changes in the 
lens, which becomes denser and less convex, of diminished 
transparency, and more or less of an amber hue, which influ¬ 
ences the refractive powers. As age creeps on, the “pigmen- 
tum nigrum” (to which the blackness of the pupil is dub) dimin¬ 
ishes in quantity, giving to the pupil a greenish or grayish hue, 
which, to an inexperienced eye, might be mistaken for incipient 
cataract or glaucoma. The cornea becomes less transparent, a 
white circle, called “arcus senilis,” forms around its margin, 
the colors of the “iris” fade, and the nervous power of the eye 
becomes less energetic. 

The period of life when presbyopia displays itself, is 'the 
same as that at which hard cataract commences; and I have 
seen many cases where the imperfections of vision caused by 
the decay of the lens has been confounded with presbyopia. 

These facts make it clear that a protuberant eye is not so 
well constituted for vision as one that is sunk in the head; nei¬ 
ther extreme is, indeed, desirable, yet, undoubtedly, of the two, 
that which is deep set is preferable, as affording the clearest 
sight and being least liable to injuries from external accidents 
and of light. 

TREATMENT. 

The sun of our animal existence has been wisely ordained to 
travel at so slow a rate that its progress is almost imperceptible, 
and so ardently do we love to bask in its rays, that when Time 
whispers to us that he has passed the meridian, we vainly en- 


26 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 


deavor to persuade ourselves that he may have mistaken the 
point of his culmination. 

I have already said that the failure of the sight is one of the 
earliest symptoms of declining years, but there is a strong dis¬ 
inclination to admit this failure; at any rate, we are not will¬ 
ing to proclaim it by adopting glasses. Their use, however, 
should not be deferred; for, although it is a common notion 
that spectacles are injurious to the eyes (and no doubt they are 
so, if tho^e of an improper description be employed), yet, when 
the powers of the eye begin to fail, so that we can neither read 
nor write for any length of time without great discomfort, it is 
reasonable to conclude that refraining from their use is more 
injurious than their adoption. 

2d. We, therefore, who prize the most valuable gift of 
nature, should be less anxious as to what others may think of 
our age, than for the preservation of so valuable a possession. 

3d. The term “preservers,” applied, as it is, to the lowest 
description of convex glasses, alone tends to convey the idea 
that if such glasses are used in time, they prevent any further 
changes in the eye. This is erroneous; and it is to be regret¬ 
ted, that the lowest magnifying power should have received 
that appellation, for all glasses are preservers, if well adapted 
to the eye; whereas, by applying that term to those particular 
glasses alone, thousands are induced to use them before they 
really require them, which is productive of injurious conse¬ 
quences, inasmuch as, by assisting the eye before it requires 
help, it encourages it to be indolent in its action. As a gen¬ 
eral rule, spectacles always act beneficially when they afford 
just so much assistance to the eye in its attempt at adjustment 
as enables it without fatigue to form a distinct picture upon the 
retina, rather than beyond it. 

Some refrain from the use of glasses who really require their 
aid, from the belief that if they once begin to use them they 
will never be able to leave them off. In the great majority of 
cases, this is perfectly true; but, even then, it is better to sub¬ 
mit with a good grace to an affliction which can seldom be 
averted, and to have recourse to those simple means which at 


27 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 

once set the eye at ease and enable its possessor to enjoy many 
hours of comfort and rational, employment, which would other¬ 
wise be lost. 

Daily experience teaches us that the decay of vision is has¬ 
tened by many causes, which are frequently overlooked. Al¬ 
though it is about the age of 40 that the sight begins to fail, 
yet we find some persons who attain extreme old age without 
needing glasses at all. Other persons, on the contrary, require 
glasses at the age of 30; and though much depends on constitu¬ 
tion, much also depends upon the person’s habits. 

One of the worst habits, is that of overworking the eyes by 
candlelight. Repose from labor, so necessary for the restora¬ 
tion of tone and vigor to the several organs of the body, is too 
sparingly granted to the eyes. Some, from a desire to distin¬ 
guish themselves; others, urged by necessity, encroach upon 
the hours of rest, and overtax the sight without mercy by lamp 
or gas work. To the poor, but working classes, medical treat¬ 
ment, when the eyes are thus oppressed, affords only temporary 
relief; the return to similar habits, however necessary, invaria¬ 
bly brings back the same disease, and, by its repeated attacks, 
vision is sooner or later destroyed. Let us hope that the ad¬ 
vancing spirit of the age will arrest so crying an evil. 

The following remarks are addressed to the former class; to 
those who from motives of ambition, or from love of study, neg¬ 
lect those ordinary precautions, without which the eyes will in¬ 
evitably suffer:— 

Let it be remembered that day-work is preferable to : night- 
work ; that while the light of a candle or lamp is trying even to 
the strong eye, the moderate light of the sun is strengthening 
to it. Those whom circumstances compel to study in the even¬ 
ing, should select that kind of work which is least distressing 
to the eyes. They should especially avoid indistinct writing or 
small print; the diamond edition, in which the print is ex¬ 
tremely snialj and very injurious to the eyes. 

Persons who write much, especially in the evening, should 
use blue wove paper in preference to that of the yellowish-white 
description, to which the term “cream laid” is applied. There 


28 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 


is a paper of a deeper blue than ordinary, which is very agree¬ 
able to irritable eyes, for writing by artificial light. 

Jet-black ink is far better than blue or fancy shades of pur¬ 
ple, brown, etc. Pale ink is altogether bad, and the fair sex, 
especially, would do well to bear in mind that they would show 
the most kindly consideration for their correspondents and ben¬ 
efit their own sight, by using good black ink, and, I may add, 
writing legibly. 

Red rulled lines, when in any number on a page, are objec¬ 
tionable. 

It is wise to change the position occasionally, during hard 
study; to write, sometimes standing, and other times sitting; 
and to break the labor, now and then, by walking about. The 
simple plan of raising the eyes from the sheet or page and fix¬ 
ing them for a few seconds on the cornice at the other side of 
the room, so that the adjustment of vision may be altered, can 
not be too strongly recommended. 

Persons with feeble sight or irritable eyes should not sleep 
with their couches facing the window, nor should their writing- 
tables be in that position. There is another thing to be espe¬ 
cially avoided by such parties, namely: reading whilst travel¬ 
ing in a railroad carriage. The peculiar vibration imparts an 
unsteadiness to the page which is most trying to the eyes, and 
more than one person, to my knowledge, has suffered from this 
thirst for knowledge, during daily journeys to and from the 
town. 

Reading by firelight, or simply gazing at the fire when sit¬ 
ting alone, or in a contemplative mood, is highly injurious to 
feeble eyes, and should be avoided by all. It is not advisable 
to read by twilight; too little light is as pernicious as too much 
light. Yet, many persons, evening after evening, try their 
eyes in this way, rather than burn a candle or lamp. 

It is injurious to the eyes to be long exposed to the reflection 
of a strong light, whether artificial or natural, such as the re¬ 
flected stinshine from the page of a book; too brilliant a light 
produces undue excitement of the eyes. Travelers in African 
deserts find it necessary to protect these organs from the sun’s 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 29 

rays by a piece of crape. The inhabitants of some Eastern 
countries, for the same purpose, anoint the edges of the lid and 
the eyelashes with a black pigment, composed of oxide of anti¬ 
mony and oil, which has the effect of subduing the light, and, 
at the same time, improving the personal appearance. 

The inhabitants of the Artie regions ingeniously protect their 
eyes from the light reflected with the snow, by wearing in front 
of the eyes a long and thin piece of wood, perforated by two 
long horizontal slits, one corresponding to each eye. By means 
of this simple contrivance, just such a quantity of light is per¬ 
mitted to enter the pupil as will suffice for vision. 

To preserve weak eyes as much as possible, from a strong 
light, neutral tint: spectacles are preferable. Many physicians 
recommend wire goggles, which absorb the heat and overheat 
the eye, and I have seen many eyes injured by using them. 
In reading or writing, just that amount and quantity of light, 
whether natural or artificial, should be allowed, which, while it 
thoroughly illuminates the objects, feels grateful and pleasant 
to the eyes. This desideratum can never be obtained without 
due regard to the position of the light. The light cast upon a 
book, whilst the candle or lamp is in front, is hy no means 
pleasant, and the glare of the flame is very trying to weak 
eyes. It will be found that if the candle or lamp be placed a 
little above and back of the reader and slightly to one side, the 
most pleasant and least injurious effect is produced; for the 
light when reflected to the eyes is least distressing, and, at the 
same time, the eyes are perfectly protected from the heat and 
glare of the flame. 

The habit, common with far-sighted persons, of drawing the 
candle to them, and holding the book they are reading close to 
it, has reference to the need which then exists for strong light. 
Eyes, when far-sighted, require more light than younger eyes; 
and judgment is required to secure this without overdoing it 
and stimulating the organs too much. It would be well, if in 
public buildings more attention was paid to the position of the 
lights. It is very distressing to sit in a gallery, immediately 
in front of a gas-burner or lamp, for an hour or more; the eyes 


30 


ADVICE ON - FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 

frequently do not recover from the irritation thus excited for 
several days. Not only might the evil be easily removed, by 
employing lights of greater power, properly subdued and placed 
near the ceiling, but there would be a great advantage gained 
from the increased purity of the air. 

Sudden transition from gloom to strong light should be 
avoided. The dazzling effect produced when we come sud¬ 
denly from darkness to light, arises from the pupils having 
been widely dilated to admit the greatest number of luminous 
rays whilst in the gloom; as the pupil of the eye requires time 
to contract, sudden transition from comparative darkness to a 
bright light compels the eye to admit far more rays than is 
agreeable, or it is calculated to bear without injury; temporary 
dazzling and a sensation of pain is excited in consequence. So 
weak and susceptible do the eyes become, if kept for a long 
time in darkness, that the ordinary light of day is distressing 
to them. I have frequently been consulted by patients labor¬ 
ing under this morbid sensibility, sometimes, from having been 
kept for a long time in a darkened room : at other times, from 
having injudiciously covered up the eyes with a bandage or 
shade, in hope of subduing an inflammation. The working 
classes are fond of binding up their eyes to those of their chil¬ 
dren, if attacked with any disorder, whether attended with in¬ 
creased sensibility to light or not. It is difficult to convince 
them of the necessity of taking the bandage off, and, by de¬ 
grees, to accustom the eyes to the stimulus of the light. 

The following are the circumstances which should guide them 
in their choice of glasses:—The glasses should be of the lowest 
power which will enable them to see objects as distinctly as 
they may wish, and, at the same time, comfortably; glasses 
which make objects appear larger than natural, and strain and 
fatigue the eyes and cause headache, are not adapted to their 
case. There are two convex glasses used, the double convex 
being preferred. The lowest power in ordinary use in England 
has a focus of 48 inches ; but in France, very much lower pow¬ 
ers are used. M. Sichel commences with a 72-inch, and in 
some cas6s with a 96-inch. Mr. Andrew Ross, however, whose 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 31 

experience as an optician is well known, has informed me that, 
in the course of his business, he met with but one person who 
could perceive any sensible difference between those two powers, 
as far as assistance to sight was concerned. 

It is quite possible that, in the early stage of far-sightedness, 
a 72-inch glass may be sufficient, and if found to be so, it 
should be, by all means, preferred to a higher number; but, - 
practically speaking, a 48-inch is that most usually required, 
because persons in this country seldom seek assistance until the 
far-sightedness has advanced beyond the aid of a 72-inch glass. 

It cannot be too strongly urged upon any one about to use 
spectacles for the first time, that the power which will enable 
them to read without much exertion by candlelight, is the only 
one suitable for them. It is only by candlelight that glasses 
should be used at first; and as soon as they find that they stand 
in need of glasses by day, as well as by gaslight, and that the 
glasses which they use no longer afford them sufficient assist¬ 
ance by gaslight, it will be proper to use the next power for 
the evening, but for the evening only, and to allow themselves 
the use of the others only during the day. 

The greatest caution as to increasing the power, should be 
observed, for persons who change their glasses unnecessarily, 
increasing the power each time, are exhausting the resources of 
art, instead of economizing them as much as possible. Optical 
aid can only be extended to a certain point, and the steps to 
that point should be as slow and as numerous as possible. By 
exercising prudent precautions, persons may attain great age, 
and yet never require the aid of glasses beyond a very moder¬ 
ate power; others, on the contrary, who, from ignorance, fre¬ 
quently increase the power of their glasses, may run through 
the whole assortment, and leave themselves only the most in¬ 
convenient resources to fall back upon, viz*: the very highest 
powers. 

The eye should not be permitted to dwell on glaring objects, 
more particularly on first awakening in the morning; the sun, 
of course, should not be permitted to shine in the room at that 
time, and only a moderate quantity of light should be admitted. 


32 


ADVICE ON FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 


It is plainly to be seen that, for the same reason, the furniture 
of the room should be neither altogether of a-red nor a white 
color; indeed, those whose eyes are weak would find consider¬ 
able advantage in having green for the furniture of their bed¬ 
chambers. Nature confirms the propriety of the advice given 
in this rule, for the light, of day comes on by slow degrees, and 
green is the universal color she presents to .our eyes. 

There is nothing which preserves the sight longer than always 
using, both in reading and writing, that moderate degree of 
light which is best suited to the eye; too little strains them, 
too great a quantity dazzles and confounds them; the eyes are 
less injured by the, want of light than by an excess of it; too 
little light never does them any harm, unless they are strained 
by efforts to see objects to which the degree of light is inade¬ 
quate, but too great a quantity has, by its own power destroyed 
the sight. Thus, many have brought on themselves a cataract, 
by frequently looking at the sun or a fire; others have, lost 
their sight by being brought too suddenly from extreme dark¬ 
ness to the blaze of the sun. 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLES. 

The discovery of optical instruments may be esteemed among 
the most noble, as well as among the most useful gifts which 
the Supreme Artist has bestowed on man. For all-admirable 
as the eye, came out of the hands of Him who made it, yet He 
has permitted this organ to be more assisted by human contriv¬ 
ance ; and that not only for the uses and comforts of common 
life, but for the advancement of natural science, whether by 
giving form and proportion to the minute bodies that were im¬ 
perceptible to the unassisted sight, Qr by contracted space, and 
as by magic art, bringing to view grander objects of the uni- 
• verse, which were rendered invisible by their immense distance 
from us. ; i ^ ‘ 

Noble as these inventions are, the. discovery of, spectacles 
may still claim the superiority, as being of more universal bene¬ 
fit and more extensive use. They restore and preserve to us 



83 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLES. 

one of the moist nbblfe and' valuable of out senses; they enable 
the mechanic to continue his labor, and earn a subsistence by 
the work of his hands, till the extreme of old age; by their aid 
the scholar pursues his studies and recreates his mind with 
intellectual pleasures, and thus pass away days and years with 
delight and satisfaction, which might have been devoured by 
melancholy or wasted in idleness. 

As spectacles are designed to remedy the defects of sight, it 
is natural to wish that the materials of which they are formed 
should be as perfect as the eye itself; but vain is the wish, for 
the materials we use, like everything human, are imperfect. 
Yet, we may deem ourselves happy, to have in glasses a sub¬ 
stance so analogous to the humors of the eye, a substance which 
gives new eyes, eyes to decrepit age, and enlarges the views of 
philosophy. The two principal defects are small threads or 
veins in the glass, and minute specks. The threads are most 
prejudicial to the purpose of vision, because they refract the 
rays of light irregularly, and thus distort the object attd fatigue 
the eyes ; whereas^ the specks only lessen the quantity of light, 
and that in a very small degree. We are now able to decide 
upon a very important question, and say how far spectacles 
may be said to preserve the sight. It is plain they can only 
be recommended as such to those vdiosb eyes are beginning to 
fail, and it would be as absurd to advise the use of spectacles to 
those who feel none of the forecoming inconvenience, as it 
would for a man in health to use crutches to save his legs. 
But those who feel these inconveniences, should immediately 
take to spectacles, which, by enabling them to see objects 
nearer, and by facilitating the union of rays of light on the 
retina, will support and preserve the sight. 

From whatever causes this decay arises, an attentive consid¬ 
eration of the following rules will enable any one to judge for 
himself when his sight may be assisted or preserved by the use 
of spectacles:— 

First. When we are obliged to remove small objects to a 
considerable distance from the eye, in order to see them dis¬ 
tinctly. 

3 


34 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLES. 


Second. If we find, it necessary to have more light than for¬ 
merly, as, for instance, to place the candle between the eyes 
and the object. 

Third. If, on looking at and attentively considering a near 
object, it becomes confused, and appears to have a kind of mist 
before it. 

Fourth. When the letters of a book run into one another, 
and hence appear double or treble. 

Fifth. If the eyes are so fatigued by a little exercise that 
we are obliged to shut them from time to time, and relieve them 
by looking at different objects. 

When all of these circumstances concur, or any of them sep¬ 
arately take place, it will be necessary to seek assistance from 
glasses, which will now ease the eyes, and, in some degree, 
check their tendency to grow flatter; whereas, if they be not 
assisted in time, the flatness will be considerably increased, and 
the eyes weakened by the efforts they are compelled to exert. 

Blindness, or at least weakness of sight, is often brought on 
by these unexpected causes. Those who have weak eyes should, 
therefore, be particularly attentive to such circumstances, since 
prevention is easy, but the cure may be difficult and sometimes 
impracticable. 

Whatever care, however, be taken, and though every precau¬ 
tion be attended with scrupulous exactness, yet, as we advance 
in years, the powers of our frame decay, an effect which is, 
generally, first perceived in the organs of vision. 

Age is, however, by no means an absolute criterion, by which 
we can decide upon the sight, nor will it prove the necessity of 
wearing spectacles. For, on the other hand, there are many 
whose sight is possessed, in all its vigor, to an advanced old 
age; while on the other, it may be impaired in youth by a var¬ 
iety of causes, or be vitiated by internal maladies. Nor is the 
defect either the same in different persons at the same age, or in 
the same person at different ages. In some the failure is nat¬ 
ural, in others it is acquired. 

Though in the choice of spectacles every one must finally 
determine for himself which are the glasses through which he 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLES. 


35 


obtains the most distinct vision, yet some confidence should be 
placed in the judgment of the optician of whom they are pur¬ 
chased, and some attention paid to his directions. 

By trying many spectacles the eye is fatigued, as the pupil 
varies in size with every different glass, and the eye endeavors 
to accommodate itself to every change that is produced; hence, 
the purchaser often fixes upon a pair of spectacles not the best 
adapted to his sight, but those which seemed to relieve him 
most while his eyes were in a forced and unnatural state, and, 
consequently, when he gets home they are returned to their 
natural state, and he finds the glasses which he had chosen fa¬ 
tiguing and injurious to the sight. The most general, and per¬ 
haps the best, rule that can be given to those who are in want 
of assistance from glasses, in order to so choose their spectacles 
that they may suit the state of their eyes, is to prefer those 
which show objects nearest their natural state, neither enlarged 
nor diminished, the glasses being nearer the eye, and which 
give a blackness and distinctness to the letters of a book, nei¬ 
ther straining the eye nor causing any unnatural exertion of 
the pupil. For no spectacles can be said to be properly accom¬ 
modated to the eyes, which do not procure them ease and rest. 
If they fatigue the eyes, we may safely conclude, either that 
we have no occasion for them, or that they are ill-made or not 
adapted to our sight. 

It is a certain and very important fact, that long-sightedness 
may be acquired, for countrymen, sailors, and those who are 
habituated to look at remote objects are generally long-sighted, 
want spectacles soonest, and use the deepest magnifiers ; on the 
other hand, the far greater part of the short-sighted are to be 
found amongst students and those artists who are daily conver¬ 
sant with small and near objects, every man becoming expert 
in that kind of vision which is most useful to him in his particu¬ 
lar profession and manner of life. Thus, the miniature painter 
and engraver see very near objects better than a sailor, but the 
sailor sees distant objects better than they do; the eyes, in both 
cases, endeavoring to preserve that configuration to which they 
are most accustomed. 


36 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLES. 


In the eyes, as well as other parts of the body, the muscles, 
by constant exercise, are enabled to move with ease and power, 
but are enfeebled by misuse* The elastic parts, also, if they 
are kept too long stretched, lose part of their elasticity; while, 
on the other hand, if they be not duly exercised, they grow 
stiff and are not easily stretched. 

From the consideration of these facts, we may learn, in a 
great measure, how to preserve our eyes. By habituating them 
occasionally to near as well as distant objects, we may main¬ 
tain them longer in their perfect state and be able to postpone 
the use of spectacles for many years, but we may also infer 
from the same premises that there is great danger when the 
eyCs have become long-sighted of deferring too long the use of 
spectacles, or using those which magnify too much, as we may 
by either method so flatten the eye as to lose entirely the bene¬ 
fits of naked vision. It may not be improper, in this place, to 
remark that the long-sighted eye is much more liable to be in¬ 
jured by too great a degree of light, than those which are short¬ 
sighted. Though it is in the general course of nature that this 
defect should augment with age, yet there are not wanting in¬ 
stances of those who have recovered their sight at an advanced 
period, and have been able to lay aside their glasses and read 
and write with pleasure without any artificial assistance. 

Among many causes which may produce this disease, the 
most probable is, that it generally arises from a decay of the 
fat in the bottom of the eye. The pressure in this part ceasing, 
the eye expands into somewhat of an oval form, and the retina 
is removed to a due focal length from the crystalline lens. 

Increasing years have a tendency to bring on this defect, 
and earlier among those who have made less use of their eyes 
in their youth; but whatever care be taken of the sight, the 
decay of nature cannot be prevented. The humors of the eye 
will gradually waste and decay, the refractive coats will be¬ 
come flatter, and the other parts of the eye more rigid and less 
pliable; thus, the latitude of distinct vision will become con¬ 
tracted. It is also highly probable that the retina and optic 
nerve lose a portion of their sensibility. 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLE FRAMES. 


37 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLE FRAMES. 

There is one point of considerable importance, which is often 
disregarded, viz.: the fitting of the spectacle frame so that the 
centre of each glass shall be exactly opposite the pupil of the 
corresponding eye. A moment’s reflection will show how im¬ 
portant this is. There are scarcely two persons of precisely 
the same width between the eyes, and yet, in the majority of 
cases, this fact is entirely lost sight of in the selection of spec¬ 
tacles. A person finds that when, at an optician’s, he looks 
through a lens of a certain power, it suits him exactly; he sees 
delightfully with it, and forthwith orders spectacles of that 
power. He tries them on as soon as he receives them, antici¬ 
pating with eagerness the comfort they will afford him, instead 
of which, he finds that he can hardly see at all, or, if he does, 
his eyes soon fee! fatigued. The glasses are right; the error 
is in the frame. Unless the width between the eyes is such 
that the centre of each glass is exactly in front of the eye which 
it is to assist, the rays which pass through the lens will not all 
enter the pupil, and the spectacles will be comparatively value¬ 
less. Care should be taken, then, in every case, to have the 
bridge made of such a curve and such a width that the position 
of the lenses, as regards the eyes, should be perfect, both hori¬ 
zontally and vertically. 

In ordinary myopic spectacles, the average height of the 
bridge above the axis of the lenses is from one-eighth to three- 
sixteenths of an inch. Where the arch of the nose is depressed, 
the bridge is made one-eighth below the centre. The three 
most remarkable spectacles are represented in the following 
figures. The first (Fig. 1.), is that commonly used for presby¬ 
opic glasses. The second (Fig. 2.), brings the glasses near the 
eyes. The third (Fig. 3.), is sometimes preferred, as being 
generally useful:— 



(Fig. 1.) 


38 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLE FRAMES. 




I have mentioned the curve, as well as the width, for by it 
the height of the glass is adjusted. Short-sighted persons re¬ 
quire the glasses to be nearer the eyes than do far-sighted, and 
this is to be regulated by a peculiar curvature of the bridge, a 
curvature in two planes, rising vertically and projecting out at 
the same time, as represented in (Fig. 2.) 

It may be as well to notice here that whenever the frames 
are well fixed, the two eyes appear to the individual to be look¬ 
ing through the glasses only. 

The material best adapted for spectacle frames is blue steel, 
which combines the advantages of lightness, elasticity, dura¬ 
bility, and neatness of appearance. The brilliancy of gold and 
silver frames is objectionable, as tending to dazzle the eyes, 

. and from this the blue steel frame is free. Some persons pre¬ 
fer tortoise-shell frames, but these have a heavy appearance, 
and are very liable to be broken. If, however, fancy incline 
toward them, care should be taken that the front is all black, 
because if it is framed of variegated shell, the dazzling will be 
even greater than that from silver or gold. 

The front of the frame should be made to project sufficiently 
beyond the glasses to protect them from friction in drawing 
them in and out of the cases, or from being scratched when laid 
flat down. Many persons are very careless as to this, leaving 
their spectacles lying about, allowing them to become dim with 
moisture and dirt, and wiping them with the first thing that 
comes to hand—their coat-tails or pocket-handkerchief; but if 



ADVICE ON SPECTACLE FRAMES. 


39 


they wish to keep their glasses in a good state, they should be 
sedulous to clean them with wash-leather which has been freed 
from the yellow ochre used to color it, for this offers less risk 
of scratching the glasses than does silk or any other material. 

One cause of the prevalence of small spectacles is to be found 
in the supposed interest of some opticians to prevent the use of 
any other kind. The reasons they allege for so doing would 
really be laughable, were not the injury thereby done rather 
too serious to be treated as a joke. Some of these gentlemen 
object to the large spectacles because, forsooth, they would 
“cut into too much shell!” others wish to know “what is to 
become of their old stock;” and others, again, assert that far 
more small spectacles are sold than ever would be were large 
ones worn. The shopman of one of them always recommends 
the small ones, but the master himself wears the large oval ones, 
because he finds them much more serviceable, and can see bet¬ 
ter with them. Whether the opticians are right or wrong as to 
their own interests in this matter, I will not undertake to say, 
but certainly none of these reasons are likely to have much 
weight with the party chiefly concerned. 

The public portrait painter, and others wdio require to com¬ 
pare objects at different distances quickly and frequently, often 
use semicircular lenses, straight at the top, so that by raising 
the eyes they can see over them. This, however, causes grim¬ 
aces and fatiguing elevation of the brows. These spectacles 
are represented in (Fig. 4.) 



(Fig. 4.) 


There is one obstacle more dangerous than all—that is, the 
divided glass. The lenses for divided glasses are cut in halves, 
and a portion of each mounted in a large circular frame; in 
this description of spectacles, the two segments of lenses are 
united as firmly as possible in the medium line, the most con¬ 
vex or reading lens is below, the least convex above, so that by 




40 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLE FRAMES. 


simply dropping the eyes or raising them, the person can see 
near or distant objects. 

These spectacles are objectionable, because the medium line 
where they are attached together is exactly in front of the 
pupil of each eye. In reading the rays are on the retina, and 
the distant glass is on the other, side of the retina, and the rays 
of the reading glass form before they reach the retina, which 
causes confusion, fatigue, and headache. The divided glass is 
represented by (Fig. 5.) 



There is another sort of spectacle frame that I object to: that 
is the octagon shape, which is very small, and the eye collects 
a pencil of rays from each corner, which creates confusion and 
dazzling of objects. This is represented by (Fig. 6.) 



(Fig. 6.) 


I recommend the large oval steel spectacles, which give the 
eye rest and ease, and with which a person can read longer and 
with less fatigue. Blue steel acts as an absorbant to the eye. 
I have made it my study, for 40 years, to ascertain what is 
good for and what is an injury to the eyes. 



(Fig- 7) 















ADVICE ON DOUBLE GLASSES. 


41 


ADVICE ON DOUBLE GLASSES. 

We have represented the four-glass spectacles, opaque or 
colored glass slides being attached to the lens-holder of the spec¬ 
tacle, thus enabling one to exclude all side rajs, as well as those 
directly in front of the eye. They were formerly made with 
convex or concave glasses fitted in the front of the frame, and 
by simply shutting down the colored plane glass sides, a tinted 
lens was at once formed. I highly recommend them for far 
and near glasses, mounted in light steel frames, four-glass spec¬ 
tacles to obtain a double-focus spectacle; thus: in the front 
frame is placed the lens which best suits for distance, and in 
the side frame a lens of such a power as, when combined with the 
front lens, would suit for reading, etc. By this method, when 

spectacles for distant vision 
are desired, it only becomes 
necessary to remove the side 
glasses from the front ones. 

When properly suited, the 
rays of light are brought to 
a point upon the retina, and 
by letting the side glasses 
down, they also are brought 
to a point for reading. 
They do not cause confu¬ 
sion, headache, or dazzling. 


DUST SPECTACLES, GOGGLES. 

Wire-work in spectacle frames wms at one time used as such, 
and called by this name. These dust spectacles have the dis¬ 
advantage of keeping the eye behind them continually envel¬ 
oped in the vapor of its own moisture, which cannot fully 
escape. Thus, the irritated condition is rather increased than 
diminished. The principal reason for their disuse lies, however, 
in the impairment of distinct vision, which compels the patient 
to strain his eyes severely in order to see surrounding objects 





42 


ADVICE ON EYE PROTECTORS. 


distinctly. By the wire-work, considerable objective light is 
kept away from the eye, and the frame of the dust spectacles 
places the translucent gauze in an unfavorable angle to the 
outer world, thus limiting the visual field; moreover, the mani¬ 
fold diffraction which the transmitted light undergoes on the 
wire-gauze comes into consideration. Besides, when these spec¬ 
tacles are worn in an atmosphere loaded with dust, the meshes 
of the gauze become filled, and then their defects are increased. 
Ordinary glass spectacles of circular shape, about an inch in 
diameter, are to be preferred to the dust goggles above de¬ 
scribed. Of course they protect the eye less; but where the 
dust is so abundant that sufficient protection is not afforded 
by the ordinary glass spectacles, or where a small amount of 
dust upon the eye proves injurious, the surgeon does well to 
prohibit the patient from being thus exposed. 



EYE PROTECTORS. 


I now proceed to speak of those contrivances by which assist¬ 
ance may be rendered to eyes where the vision is impaired from 
accident, operation, or imperfection in form or direction. For 
perfect vision, it is essential that the rays of light pass through 
the centre of the crystalline lens, as then only is a true and 
correct image depicted on the retina; this cannot take place if 
the pupil be displaced, and just in proportion as it is removed 
from its natural position towards the periphery of the iris is the 
refraction imperfect, and, consequently, the vision confused. 
This almost always follows, in a greater or less degree, the op¬ 
eration for artificial pupil; for the very object of the operation 





ADVICE ON EYE PROTECTORS. 


43 


is to give sight by making a new opening in the iris, in cases 
where the natural pupil has been closed or destroyed; and the 
instances are few in which this can be placed exactly in the 
centre. Again, as the proceeding in question consists in divid¬ 
ing or cutting away a portion of the iris, the new pupil is de¬ 
void of that beautiful arrangement of .fibres by which the con¬ 
traction or expansion is provided for; it is, therefore, motion¬ 
less under all conditions of light. The following are the results 
of many experiments made by me, for the relief of such cases: 

If the aperture be central, but too large, it resembles mydri¬ 
asis, or permanent dilation of the pupil, and may be thus obvi¬ 
ated:—A thin plate of Japanned black steel, slightly concave 
on the inner side, should he fitted into a spectacle frame; in 
the centre there should be a small hole, the actual size of which 
must be determined by experiment in each case, in order that 
its dimensions may be precisely those which afford the best 
vision. This, worn before the eye, imitates a pupil in a state 
of contraction, and, by limiting the light entering the eye, ma¬ 
terially assists vision. It may, however, he more convenient 
to have a slit instead of a simple aperture, to admit of extended 
lateral vision. (Fig. 13.) represents both forms. 



(Fig. 10.) 


Figure 11. represents a crochet or riding spectacle. The 
frame is grooved into the glass, and being very light and deli¬ 
cate, is almost invisible; the nose piece, as well as every part 
of the frame, is made of the best tempered steel, and when the 
arms are hooked behind the ears, the glasses are held firmly to 
their places before the eyes; the frame is’ hardly felt on the 



44 


ADVICE ON PANTASCOPIC SPECTACLES. 


face, and can not be readily disloged from its position. The 
glasses in these frames are generally fine—but care should al¬ 
ways be taken to purchase a good article, as the poorer qualities 
of crochet are worthless., and will last for a short time only. 



(Fig. 11.) 


ADVICE ON PANTASCOPIC SPECTACLES. 

We have a representation of a spectacle which is generally 
termed pantaseopic. I consider it by far the best model of a 
frame for the far-sighted to wear. At a glance, it will be seen 
that the arms or branches of the frame* instead of being exactly 
at right angles with the glasses of the spectacles, are slightly 
inclined, as,, already referred to. The effect of this slant is to 
throw the lenses obliquely under or before the eye, so that upon 
casting the eye downwards, upon a book, for instance, the head 
being held somewhat erect, the optic axis and the axis of the 
glasses coincide with each other. The bridge, arch, or nose- 
piece is placed higher up above the upper border of the lens- 
holders than is common to ordinary spectacle frames; and the 
oval fenestrae or lens-holders have their upper border somewhat 
straightened, so as to partially cut off the upper segment of the 
oval usually formed, in ordinary spectacle frames by this border. 
These dispositions of the frame allow the lenses to fall some¬ 
what below the range'of vision when accommodated for distant 
objects, the wearer being able to look over these borders ; while 
for writing, reading, etc., the spectacle is ready for use at all 
times. These frames may readily be worn while walking, or 



THE VARIETY OF LENSES. 


45 


while working on distant objects, since the glasses do not inter¬ 
fere with distant range, which, in the common styles of spectacle 
frame, is very annoying. 



THE VARIETY OF LENSES. 

In order that the action mf spectacles may be clearly under¬ 
stood, I will, before entering upon the subject, explain the ef¬ 
fects of the different kinds of lenses upon the rays of light. 
There are six varieties of common lenses:— 



1. The double-convex lens is bounded by two convex spher¬ 
ical surfaces, each of whose centres is in the axis of the lens 
only on the sides opposite to their surfaces. 

2. The plano-convex lens has one side convex^ the other 
plane. 

3. The meniscus has one surface convex, the other concave, 
and the surfaces meet if continued. 

4. The double-concave is formed by two concave spherical 
surfaces, whose centres are' on the same side of the lens as their 
surfaces. 

5. The plano-concave has one surface plane, the other con¬ 
cave. 

6. Concavo-convex has one surface concave, the opposite 
convex, but these do not meet if continued. 







46 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLE' LENSES. 


ADVICE ON SPECTACLE LENSES. 

When a convex lens is properly worked, it should exactly 
represent two segments of the sphere, or of two different spheres, 
with their plane surfaces in opposition, and placed in tho same 
axis. Then only does it give a clear and distinct image of the 
object submitted to its action. If the working of the lens be 
not accurate, every variation from the true Curvature will inter¬ 
fere with refraction and the perfect definition of the image, 
points of much importance in lenses used to assist vision. 

The same remarks apply to concave lenses. 

In China, rock crystal is used throughout the empire for 
lenses. They are ground with the powder of corundum, and 
when mounted, form most original spectacles, being circular 
and of immense size, and retained in position by silken cords 
with weights attached, which are slung over the ears 


THE MANUFACTURE OF LENSES. 

I shall, in the first place, describe the mode in which specta¬ 
cles are made; after that, proceed to their application. 

The glass principally employed for spectacles and optical 
lenses is plate glass of the purest quality; it requires the nicest 
adjustment as to the proportion of its ingredients—silicate of 
soda, and lime; the presence of too much alkali attracts humid¬ 
ity from the atmosphere, causing the glass to become dull, or, 
in the language of the opticians, to “sweat.” 

The French plate glass is, in point of color, superior to the 
British, but has the disadvantages of softness, fraxility, and a 
tendency to become dull; therefore,* although it is preferred by 
some opticians, the glass known as “British Plate” is, on the 
whole, the best. 

The mode of making spectacle glasses and lenses generally, 
is as follows 

A piece of glass, of a thickness proportionate to the convex- 



THE MANUFACTURE OF LENSES. 


47 


ity or concavity of the intended lens, is cut into small squares 
with the diamond; after these small squares have had their 
corners snapped off they are fixed with cement to a metal tool, 
the concavity or convexity of which corresponds to the Curve 
which they are intended to receive. They are then worked by 
hand or machinery on the smoothing tool, which latter must be 
perfectly true, of a radius in accordance with the focal lengths 
of the intended lenses. They are worked with a peculiar kind 
of eccentric motion, which is found-to give equal friction to all 
parts of the surface. After the lenses have been thus gradu¬ 
ally rounded into shape, and smoothed by emery powder of dif¬ 
ferent degrees of fineness, prepared for this purpose, they are 
subsequently polished with oxide of tin, commonly called putty, 
which is laid on a polisher made of felt and cement, and formed 
to the curve of the smoothing tool. When one side of the lens 
is completed, the other side is subjected to a like process; and 
when both sides are perfectly polished, all that is required is to 
cut and grind the edge to fit the spectacle frames. 

There is a common prejudice in favor of pebbles, and they 
certainly possess two advantageous qualities: extreme hardness, 
rendering it difficult to scratch or break them; and clearness, 
never becoming dull from moisture. They have, however, the 
disadvantage of being expensive, partly on account of the addi¬ 
tional labor in making them, partly from the number of imper¬ 
fect ones found in their manufacture, whereby the price of good 
spectacles is enhanced. 

The earliest mention of artificial aid to sight occurs in the 
writings of Roger Bacon, who speaks of an “instrument useful 
to old men, and to those who have weak eyes, for they may see 
the smallest letters sufficiently magnified.” 

Mons. Spoon, in his “Recherches Curieuses,” fixes the date 
of the invention of spectacles between A.D. 1280 and 1311. 
This seems to be satisfactorily made out, for a number of refer¬ 
ences to them is made in the writings of persons in the early 
part of the fourteenth century. 


48 


ADVICE ON COLORED GLASSES. 


ADVICE ON COLORED GLASSES. 

These glasses (Fig. 13.) are tinted and made somewhat in the 
shape of a watch crystal, being large and bulging, the concave 
surface being next the eye, and the convex or bulging surface 
being placed externally. The eye is entirely covered, and yet 
there is perfect ventilation. During the late rebellion, these 
Coquille glasses became very popular with the soldiery during 
their marches in the sun. They are in great demand among 
oculists, for patients suffering from excessive retinal sensibility, 
inflammatory affections of the eyes, etc. 



(Fig. 13.) 


From time immemorial, the Chinese have used, for checking 
the glare of the sun, a substance called cha-she , or tea-stone, 
from the resemblance of its transparent hue to a weak infusion 
of black tea; it is probably smoky quartz or silex, allied to 
the, cairngorm of Scotland. In selecting this color, they have 
shown wisdom; for although glasses, of all tinges of blue and 
green are to be found in the shops of opticians, theFue is called 
neutral tint, similar to that used by the Chinese, . It does the 
least injury to the eyes, and for the following reasons:— 

When the eye, after having been strongly impressed with 
any particular species of colored light, is directed to a sheet 
of white paper, it will not be capable of determining for some 
time that the paper is white, neither will it attribute to the 
paper the color with which the eye was impressed, but a dif¬ 
ferent color, which is called its accidental or complimentary 
colot. The following is a table of the colors, and of those which 
are complimentary to them:— 

Color. Complimentary Color. 

Red, Bluish-green. 







ADVICE ON COLORED GLASSES. 49 

Orange, . . . Blue. 

Yellow, . . . Indigo. 

Green, . . . Violet-reddish. 

Blue, . . . Orange-red. 

Indigo, . . . Orange-yellow. 

Violet, . . . Yellow-green. 

Black, . . . White. 

White, . . . Black. 

Thus, when the eye has been for some time looking through 
a blue glass, the retina becomes less sensible to light; conse¬ 
quently, the moment the blue glass ceases to be used, the retina 
being less sensible to the blue rays which form part of the white 
light flowing from the paper, the paper will appear of that color 
which arises from the combination of all the rays of the white 
light which it reflects, with the exception of the blue, that is, 
it will appear orange-red; in like manner, green will excite the 
violet-red spectrum. As colored glasses are almost always 
made use of to screen the eyes in cases where there is undue 
sensibility of the retina, anything which unnecessarily blunts 
the sensitiveness of that membrane (such as a particular color), 
though temporarily, should be avoided. . 

It is on this account that the neutral tint glasses are to be 
preferred. Being, as the name implies, of no definite color, 
they screen the eyes from all colors alike, and produce in the 
sunshine the effects of a cloudy day, which is exceedingly grate¬ 
ful to weak and irritable eyes. 

There are two descriptions of neutral tints: a bluish-gray 
and a brownish-gray, and the several shades of each. I give 
the preference to the brownish-gray. The chief risk in select¬ 
ing glasses of this description is that of choosing too dark a 
shade. 

Neutral tinted glasses are divisible into two distinct classes 
of cases: those in which the retina is irritable, and will not bear 
the excitement of light, and those cases of incipient cataract in 
which they assist vision simply by modifying the light and 
causing dilation of the pupil. 

In the first class of patients, the use of too dark a shade of 
4 


ADVICE ON COLORED GLASSES. 


50 

glass is injurious by rendering the eye still more susceptible to 
light; producing, in fact, the same effect as shutting up the pa¬ 
tient in a darkened room. The shade selected should be that 
which is grateful to the eye, but never darker than necessary; 
and if dark glasses have been in use, it will be proper to dis¬ 
continue them, and to gradually accustom the eyes to the stim¬ 
ulus of ordinary light, by reducing the tint in successive changes. 

It is advisable that persons habitually using tinted glasses 
should close the eyes once or twice, for a second, on taking 
them off, thus rendering the contrast between the shade and the 
light less marked. 

It must be borne in mind, with reference to the darker 
shades of natural tint, that they are liable to heat the eyes; a 
black substance absorbs all the calorific as well as the luminous 
rays, and, therefore, sooner becomes warm and rises to a higher 
temperature than substances of other colors. The nearer, then 
the neutral glass approaches to black, the more it will heat the 
eye. 

I may refer, en passant, to an experiment of my own, demon¬ 
strating the relative Keating properties of black and white. I 
covered two patches of snow with cloths, the one black, the 
other white. The snow beneath the black cloth very soon 
melted, whilst little or no effect was produced on that beneath 
the white. This is a fact of practical value, for the tunics of a 
sensitive or morbidly irritable eye soon feel the discomfort 
arising from this property of dark glass, which literally, as well 
as figuratively, feels hot to the eye it covers. 

It occasionally happens that myopic persons require the aid 
of neutral-tinted glasses. There are two ways of supplying the 
want: either by grinding the lens of the tinted glass itself, or 
by cementing an ordinary plano-concave lens on a tinted plane 
glass. The last mode is much used by Messrs. Carpenter and 
Westley, who inform me that the low numbers, up to about No. 
6, may be cemented with the utmost nicety; but that when a 
higher number is required, it is preferable to have a, tinted side- 
piece let down when required, as the inequality of the refrac¬ 
tions, if cementei, would interfere* with the perfection of the 
spectacles. 



CYLINDRICAL LENSES. 


51 


The desire to conceal from the world any imperfection which 
wounds oiir self-love, is inherent in the human heart, and leads 
to all sorts of artifices on the part of those who, by natural 
conformation, advancing years, or other causes, suffer from an 
imperfection in their Vision. 


CYLINDRICAL LENSES. 

Conceive a lens ground with two cylindrical surfaces of equal 
radius, one concave and the other convex, with their axes 
crossed at right angles. Call such a lens an astigmatic lens; 
let the reciprocal of a focal length in one of the principal 
planes be called its power; and a line parallel to the axis of 
the convex surfaces, its astigmatic axis. Then, if two thin as¬ 
tigmatic lenses be combined, Avith their axes inclined at any 
angle, they will be equivalent to a third astigmatic lens, deter¬ 
mined by the following construction:— 

From any point draw two straight lines, representing in 
magnitude the powers of the respective lens, and inclined to a 
fixed line drawn arbitrarily in a direction perpendicular to the 
axis of vision, at angles equal to twice the inclinations of their 
astigmatic axes, and complete the parallelogram. 

Then the two lenses will be equivalent to a single astigmatic 
lens, represented by the diagonal of the parallelogram, in the 
same way in which the single lenses are represented by the 
sides. 

A piano-cylindrical or sphero-cylindrical lens is equivalent 
to a common lens, the power of which is equal to the semi sum 
of the reciprocals of the focal lengths in the two principal 
planes, combined with an astigmatic lens, the power of which 
is equal to their semi difference. If two piano-cylindrical 
lenses of equal radius, one concave and the other convex, be 
fixed, one in the lid and the other in the body of a small round 
■wooden box, with a hole in the top and bottom, so as to be as 
nearly as possible in contrast, the lenses will neutralize each 
other when the axes of the surfaces are parallel; and by merely 
turning the lid around, an astigmatic lens may be formed, of a 



52 


ADVICE ON CYLINDRICAL LENSES. 


form varying continuously from zero to twice the astigmatic 
power of either lens. When a person who has the defect in 
question has turned the lid till the power suits his eye, an ex¬ 
tremely simple numerable calculation, the data of which are 
furnished by the chord of double the angle through which the 
lid has been turned, enables him to calculate the curvature of 
the cylindrical surface of a lens for a pair of spectacles which 
will correct the defect in his eye. 

A curious case is related in the Annales de Oculistique , of 
an anomaly of vision, probably the consequences of a defect in 
the form of the cornea, such as that under consideration :— 

Mrs. Holstrid, of Fayence, was presbyopic for horizontal, 
and myopic for ventricular. This she remedied by wearing 
spectacles, the glasses of which were cylindric bi-convexes, with 
rectangular, horizontal, and similar axes. These glasses obvi¬ 
ated the presbyopic relative to the horizontal lines, and they 
were confined with sphero bi-concave lenses to get rid of the 
myopia for vertical lines. Each of the glasses were made mov¬ 
able, for the facility of cleaning. 

The following means are recommended, to ascertain if an eye 
has the defect now described:—The person should attentively 
contemplate, for some time and with attention, a cross three 
or four lines in, size, made of fine wire, and fixed in a frame; 
if affected, he will see the horizontal lines differ in thickness 
and blackness, of tint from the vertical. 

In astigmatic eyes, vision is distributed in such a manner 
that the patient finds it difficult to describe his symptoms, but 
on testing his sight, it is evident that it had not the normal 
acuteness, and that it is improved in a slight degree only by 
ordinary concave or convex lenses. On desiring him to look 
at test-lines of equal length and breadth placed parallel to each 
other, some of them in a vertical and some in a horizontal posi¬ 
tion, he finds that he sees one set of the lines more clearly than 
the other. A square appears elongated to a parallelogram, 
and, at the same time, less sharply defined in the direction of 
its length. A small round hole in a screen, behind which is a 
bright light, seems oval or even linear. If large letters are 


ADVICE ON PERISCOPIC GLASSES. 


53 


looked at at twenty feet distance, some of the lines will be 
clearly seen, while those at right angles with the first will ap¬ 
pear blurred, or of double contours. On looking through a 
spectacle with a small apperture or narrow slit, held in a proper 
direction, the confusion disappears. (Fig. 14.) represents the 
spectacles:— 



(Fig. 14.) 

This forms, perhaps, the readiest method to ascertain the 
direction of astigmatism. Its degree is ascertained by placing 
convex or concave glasses before the slit till we find with what 
number vision is clearest. 

Great care is required in setting cylindrical glasses; as even 
a slight want of correspondence between the meridian of devia¬ 
tion and the proper relative position of the glass almost annuls 
its effect. The glass is to be turned before the eye till the 
vision becomes clearest, and at this point should be marked by 
the optician, so that it may be set in the frame in precisely the 
same position. The frame should be well fitted to the wearer, 
as even a very slight obliquity or tilting of the glasses lessens 
their beneficial effect. For this reason, spectacles are, usually, 
to be preferred to eye-glasses, as they keep more steadily their 
proper position. The cylindrical glasses are required for all 
purposes; both near and distant objects seeming blurred and 
distorted without their aid. 


PERISCOPIC GLASSES. 

There are three varieties of lenses in common use for spec¬ 
tacles: the double-concave for short-sighted persons; the double- 
convex for long or aged sight; and a third description, invented 
and patented by Dr. Woolaston, to which he applied the term 
periscopic, so called from the facility they were supposed to 
afford for looking around at various objects without turning the 



54 ADVICE ON CATARACT GLASSES. 

head, and so giving a wide field for vision. They were also 
intended to obviate the defects in common lenses, in which no 
objects appear, distinct through them, except such as are seen 
through the centre. Dr. Woolaston conceived that by making 
each side concave towards the eye, each portion of its surface 
might be nearly at its right angles to the axis of vision, and 
would thus render lateral objects distinct without impairing the 
distinctness of those seen through the centre. This effect, for 
far-sighted persons, he accomplished by means of the meniscus, 
with the concave surface next the eye; and for short-sighted 
persons, he adopted the concavo-convex. 

There can be no doubt that the advantage of a wide field is 
gained, in proportion as the second surface of the lens ap¬ 
proaches to the form of the curvature of the cornea; but this is 
scarcely necessary, as we generally turn the head to look at an 
object, instead of glancing at it obliquely. 

Periseopic glasses would be applicable, but they do not ren¬ 
der vision so distinct as ordinary lenses, and they increase 
(although in a very slight degree) the aberration both of color 
and figure; therefore, the double-concave or convex lenses are 
to be preferred to the periseopic. 


CATARACT GLASSES. 

The object aimed at in operation for cataract is, either to 
abstract the opaque crystalline lens from the eye, to cause its 
absorption, or to displace it, so as to give a free passage to 
light. As the image formed on the retina depends upon the 
refraction produced by means of the crystalline lens, and on its 
power of self-adjustment to, objects at different distances, the 
consequences of its loss, usually, are indistinctness of vision, 
and loss of power of accommodation to distance. If, prior to 
the formation of cataract, the eye was perfect (not merely as to 
its power to define objects at a given distance, but as to the 
power of adjustment to distance also), there is, after the opera¬ 
tion, an incapability of discerning near objects, as the eye no 
longer has the power to accommodate itself to the necessary 



ADVICE ON CATARACT GLASSES. 


55 


focus. To remedy these inconveniences, double-convex glasses 
are employed ; and it is necessary to have two pairs, of differ¬ 
ent focal lengths: one for looking at distant objects, the other 
for reading and writing, The following are the numbers of my 
test-glasses:—For reading, Nos. 2, 2J, 2J, 3; for distant ob¬ 
jects, Nos. 3J, 4, 4J-, 5. Opticians, however, have a greater 
variety, to suit exceptional cases .* 

Where only one eye has;been operated on, or where the oper¬ 
ation has failed in one, it is convenient to have a frame with a 
double bridge, as in (Fig. 3.), so that it can be worn with either 
side up; one circle may be fitted with a reading lens, the qther 
with a lens for distant vision; and by simply turning the frame 
either way, it will be placed before the useful eye. 

If the sight of one eye be so imperfect that it. interferes with 
the vision of the other, a dark neutral-tinted glass or a thin 
opaque plate may be advantageously fitted in the circle intended 
for that eye. There is considerable variety in the amount of 
assistance required, but glasses of four and a-half inches focus 
ordinarily serve for viewing distant objects, and two and a-half 
inches focus for reading or writing. In the selection of glasses, 
those of the longest focus that will answer the purpose are to 
be preferred. The glass 3S recommended by my lamented 
friends, Mr. Tyrrell and Mr. Dalrymple, w T ere. of three-quarters 
of an inch diameter, and mounted in a broad tortoise-shell rim, 
to diminish the weight of the spectacles and limit the quantity 
of light admitted to the eye. 

A cataract glass, when placed in front of the eyes, gives per¬ 
fect vision of objects at the distance at which they could be dis- 

*The lenses used by divers, if made of crown glass and equi-convex, must 
have the curvatures of both surfaces equal to that of the cornea; for, 1 in order 
that the refraction of such a lens may be equal to that of the cornea' which it 
is intended to supply, the focal length of the lens in water must be equal to 
that of the cornea in air. It must be borne in mind that when the eye is im¬ 
mersed in water, the first and most considerable of its refraction is lost, for the 
refractive power of the aqueous humor is very nearly that of water, and so, 
the cornea being bounded by surfaces which are nearly parallel, the rays will 
pass from water into the aqueous humor without undergoing refraction, Thus, 
a powerful convex lens, is required to afford distinct vision. 


56 ADVICE ON CATARACT GLASSES. 

tinctly seen before the change in the lens commenced. If the 
focus be too long, the patient will find it necessary, after a time, 
to remove the glasses two or three inches from the eyes, in 
order to see distinctly, and in such a case, glasses of a shorter 
focus must be procured. If the focus be too short, the patient 
will mistake the distance of objects from him, as they will ap¬ 
pear nearer than they really are, and the hand in the effort to 
grasp them will fall short of them. For some time after opera¬ 
tion for cataract, the patient (especially if young) should en¬ 
deavor to do as much as possible without glasses; for although 
the adjusting power inherent in the eye is destroyed by the 
operation, nature will, if compelled, make great efforts to pro¬ 
vide a substitute. Glasses, then, should not, under any circum¬ 
stances, be permitted for a considerable time after the operation, 
nor, indeed, so long as vision continues to improve without them. 
If they be used too early, and the glasses are too powerful, the 
eyes may become enfeebled and require more and more assist¬ 
ance, so that, after a time, no lenses will be found of sufficient 
power. 

If the individual will wait until the eye has completely recov¬ 
ered, and will habituate the organ as much as possible to its 
altered state, he will then be in a condition to select glasses of 
a proper strength, and these, if used sparingly, will probably 
serve him all his life. 

Supposing the axis to be absent 
in addition to the mydriasis, as 
would be the case if artificial 
pupil had been made for closed 
pupil after extraction of cataract, 
a cataract glass will be required 
in addition to the diaphragm, and 
the best contrivance for combin¬ 
ing them is to have the dia¬ 
phragm on a movable pivot, as 
in figure 15, as in the event of 
a spectacle frame being prefer¬ 
red, and in most cases it is preferable, the diaphragm should 



ADVICE ON READING GLASSES. 


57 


be attached by a hinge to the outside of the frame, so that it can 
be lifted up as a side-piece, or folded down next to the eye. 
The object of the diaphragm being movable, is to admit of < the 
lens being wiped, which cannot be satisfactorily done if the two 
are fixed together. 

In many cases of cataract, hypermetropia, etc., reading glas- 
glasses or magnifiers are used to assist vision—the most common 
kind is the square reader; the lens is mounted in a frame of 
brass or German silver, with a wooden handle, as represented in 



(Fig. 16 .) 


READING GLASSES. 

Round eye-glasses are made of horn, shell, rubber, steel, or gold. 
The rubber is generally preferred, because it is the lighter and 
more durable; the objection to the horn and shell being that 
they crack very easily, and to the Steel, that rust will soon de¬ 
stroy them. Oval frames are made of the same style. 

Thus it is, that some persons prefer to use an eye-glass, in 
lieu of spectacles. Reading-glasses and hand-glasses are adapted 
for occasional use, as the elastic mounting enables them to be 
opened and brohght into position at once; but they are objec¬ 
tionable, from not being firmly fixed in front of the eyesi 

The motion of the head not being in accordance with that of 
the hand which holds the glasses, has the effect of trying the 
eyes exceedingly, in their constant and ineffectual endeavor to 
adjust themselves to the position of the glasses, inducing con- 











58 


ADVICE ON READING GLASSES. 


siderable fatigue of the eyes, and rendering necessary an earlier 
resort to glasses of a higher power than would have been re¬ 
quired had proper spectacles been adapted from the commence¬ 
ment. The eye-glasses which are fixed by a spring to the nose, 
have the disadvantage of the centres of the glasses never being 
in front of the pupils, and though serviceable for prompt and 
occasional use, are objectionable for reading, writing, or any 
continued occupation. 



Fig. 18. represents an oval pattern, with a different style of 
nose-piece. I highly recommend these, as they leave no mark 
on the nose, and the axis of the glass corresponds with that of 
the eye, and gives a longer field. 



But a single eye-glass is more injurious still, and many young 
men who, from shortness of sight, have thought proper to use a 
quizzing-glass (as it is frequently termed), have had reason to 
repent it to the end of their lives. I am acquainted with a 
gentleman, the sight of whose right eye has been seriously im¬ 
paired from his having in early life constantly used one of these 












ADVICE ON READING GLASSES. 


59 

ey e ~gl asses ; a nd numerous other in¬ 
stances have come to mj knowledge. 

The consequences to perfect vision 
are serious,, for as one eye is made 
to do more work than the other, an 
alteration in their relative strength 
takes place; the result is, that, 
sooner or later, when a person re¬ 
sorts to spectacles, he finds that the 
lens which suits one eye will not at 
all suffice for the other. Watch¬ 
makers, and other artists who work 
with a magnifier, are very subject 
to this imperfection of vision, and 
generally find that they caii see bet- (Fig. 19.) 

ter with one eye than the other. 

If, instead of always,.applying the 
magnifying glass to one eye, they 
were to use the other eye in turn, a 
habit which might be easily acquired 
in early life, though with difficulty 


afterwards, they would preserve the 
power of their eyes more equal-lv, 
and the perfection of vision longer; 
for, by using the eyes alternately, 
rest and an opportunity of recover¬ 
ing from the fatigue produced by the 
exertion of looking through the mag¬ 
nifier would be afforded to each. 

In like manner, those who indulge 
in microscopical or astronomical pur¬ 
suits, should learn to use either eye 
indifferently, instead of always trust- 














GO 


ADVICE ON READING GLASSES. 


ing to one; although we almost instinctively apply the right 
eye to a telescope or microscope. Many medical men have 
informed me that from constantly looking through microscopes, 
etc., with their right eyes, the focus of that eye has been ren¬ 
dered so much longer than that of the left eye, that while the 
left eye is suited by a glass perfectly plane, the right requires 
a lens of 30 inches focal length. 

All kinds of acromatic microscopes can be had at Dr. John 
Phillips’, 168 Clark Street, ChicagD. 

New Method of Preparing Objects for the Microscope .—M 
Rauvier proposes [Archives de-Physiologic) a new and simple 
method, which consists in the employment of picric or carbazo- 
tic acid. This acid is only moderately soluble in water, and a 
saturated solution may therefore be employed. It' possesses the 
further advantage of being very cheap. It is admirably adapted 
for all tissues containing much blood, and, therefore, for speci¬ 
mens, of liver, lung, etc. It appears to act by effecting coagu¬ 
lation of the albuminous substances, though, unlike alcohol arid 
chromic acid, it does not occasion any fusion of the constituents 
of the tissue. The red globules retain their form and charac¬ 
ters extremely well. The portion of tissues required to be ex¬ 
amined should be plunged into the solution, and after the lapse 
of 24 hours it will be found to have acquired sufficient firmness 
to permit of very fine sections being made with a razor. The 
saving of time by this method, as compared with the chromic 
acid, is immense. The preparations will take color from carmi- 
nate of ammonia, and may be preserved in glycerine.— Lancet. 



(F‘g. 22.) 


ADVICE ON GLASSES FOR AMAUROSIS. 61 

Single magnifying lenses, convenient for pocket microscopes, 
in various kinds of mountings, from 1 inch to 1J inch in diame¬ 
ter, and from 1 inch to 2 inch focus. They are very useful for 
all medical purposes, for examining the eye for foreign bodies, 
to use with the ophthalmoscope, to examine insects, and are also 
used as sun-burners. Price $2,00. For sale by Dr. Phillips, 
168 Clark Street, Chicago. 


GLASSES FOR AMAUROSIS. 

The first person who appears to have, systematically used 
magnifying glasses as a means of restoring sight to amaurotic 
eyes, was a German: charlatan, named Schlesinger, who visited 
Brussels in 1838, professing to cure weak sight, strabismus, 
cataract, amaurosis, j etc., with glasses, of his own invention. 
This attracted the attention of Dr. Cunier, who, after some 
pains, discovered the means employed by this man, which were 
neither more nor less than practising the eyes daily with plano¬ 
convex glasses,, beginning with very high powers and reducing 
them, first, by quarters of an ingh, then, by halves, and last, 
by one and two inches, till the lowest ,powers are reached. Dr. 
Cunier put this in practice, with happy effect. The following 
is a description of the treatment, as applied to a particular case: 
Madame la Baronne de R., 40 years of age, perceived that the 
sight of her left eye failed, without particular cause, and after 
eight years, during which treatment was unsuccessfully em¬ 
ployed, she could with difficulty discern the large letters form¬ 
ing the: heading of newspapers; neither could she distinguish 
the features nor the form of a person one or two feet distant. 
On examination, the pupils were seen to be moderately con¬ 
tracted, but on coyering the right eye, that of the left dilated 
widely, aud did not react under the strongest light. The green¬ 
ish-gray tinge often seen in long-standing amaurosis was visible 
deep in the eye. After a variety of unsuccessful treatment, Dr. 
Cunier determined to try what could be done with glasses. 
\Vith No. 3 plano-convex, Madame R. recognized, though with 
; : fficulty, letters of the largest type. After some minutes’ ex- 



02 ADVICE ON GLASSES FOR AMAUROSIS. 

ercise, there was confusion of sight, the eye watered, and a sort 
of veil, thickening more and more, gray, then black, shrouded 
the letters ; frontal pain also came on, and it Was necessary to 
discontinue the exercise; but, on the application of cold Water 
to the forehead and eyes, these symptoms soon disappeared. 
On the second day, the reading was with No. 3J; and was prac¬ 
tised seven times, from eight to ten minutes each time, before 
fatigue came on. The interval of an hour took place between 
each exercise. The letters were easily recognized that evening 
at the distance of three inches. Summary of the exercises 
No. 3, one day, 5 exercises of from 2 to 4 minutes. 


u 

3i, “ 7 

U 

u 

8 to 10 

u 

u 

4, half day, 3 

u 

a 

10 to 15 

u 

u 

4h “ 5 

it 

a 

10 to 15 

a 

u 

5f, one day, 6 

u 

u 

10 to 16 

u 

« 

6, 2 days, 13 

u 

u 

10 to 15 

it 

u 

6|, one day, 6 

u 

u 

10 to 15 

a 

a 

7, “ 6 

u 

a 

10 to 15 

a 

a 

8, “ 7 

u: 

u 

10 to 15 

u 


The exercise was continued on the evening of the 10th day 
during 22 minutes. Madame de R. saw the hour by the clock 
at 75 centimetres, and recognized persons at double that dis¬ 
tance. The glasses, when used, were :— 


11th day of treatment,-— No. 11 

12th “ “ “ 12 

13th “ “ ——— - “ 14 

14th “ “ — -- “ 16 

15th “ “ “ 18 

16th “ “ — - —----- “ 22 

17th “ “ “ 24 


Each of the exercises requiring from 20 to 40 minutes. Small 
text was read on the seventeenth day without difficulty. Mad¬ 
ame R. did not cease to use No. 24 until the expiration of two 
months, during which time aloetic medicines were taken. Ul¬ 
timately, the sight of the left eye became as good as that of the 
right for reading, at from 12 to 14 inches, and for seeing large 
objects at from 10 to 14 metres. 









ADVICE ON GLASSES FOE AMAUROSIS. 


63 


M. Fronmuller has already reported favorably of the use of 
graduated glasses, and states that, by their aid, he has cured 
many cases of amblyopia and mydriasis. He thus explains 
their actionThe retina is irritated by the employment of 
glasses, and especially by the increase of light thrown upon it, 
and by the direct excitement of its function. This irritation 
communicated to the brain and reflected from it through the 
oculo-motor nerve, neutralizes the action of the sympathetic 
nerve, which (he imagines) determines the dilatation of the 
pupil, and so the disorder is overcome. This explanation will, 
it is feared, not he satisfactory to physiologists in general, but 
there can be no doubt, whatever may be the modus operandi , 
that in many cases of amblyopia, either from disuse of the eye, 
or from deficient energy in the retina, the careful and judicious 
employment of glasses is attended with excellent effect. The 
plan which seems best, is to commence with such power as ena¬ 
bles the person to see large type; to rouse, but not fatigue, the 
retina by repeated exercises, short in duration at first, but 
gradually increased in length; and to reduce the power of the 
glasses by very short steps, so that each glass, in succession, 
may establish and improve upon the effect produced by the for¬ 
mer. Simple though the plan is, it requires caution, should not 
be adopted without consideration, and the practice should be 
carried on under the superintendence of a competent authority. 

In the first instance, the largest type may be required* but 
its size should be diminished in proportion as the dormant sen¬ 
sibility of the retina is aroused. The exercises should be per- 
formad in a good light; and after each, the eye should be 
bathed with cold water, if practicable, by means of an eye- 
fountain. 

In cases of strabismus, where the sight is imperfect from dis¬ 
use, the practice with the glasses may be concurrent with that 
recommended to strengthen and equalize the muscles ; and in 
cases of amaurotic insensibility, treatment calculated to remove 
any functional derangement which may tend to keep up the 
disorder of the sight, ought to be carefully employed. 


64 


ADVICE ON ASTHENOPIA. 


ASTHENOPIA, 

There is a condition, of the organs of vision in which they 
are unable to sustain continued exercise upon near objects, 
although the patient, on first viewing such objects, generally 
sees them distinctly and clearly. But after a time, varying in 
different subjects from a few minutes to an hour, a sensation 
of constraint affects the eyes of some, whilst others complain of 
a feeling of tension or ( ot weight, with heat, running of water, 
and double vision, accompanied with a feeling of fatigue in the 
eyes and headache, confusion and obscurity having spread over 
the objects which had been previously clear and distinct 
These persons can employ their sight for any length of time in 
viewing distant objects, and present no external appearance of 
disease of the eye. This affection of the eye is called “asthen¬ 
opia,” or weak-sightedness, and is often mistaken by both phy¬ 
sicians and patients for, “amaurosis,” and treated accordingly; 
but there is no necessary connection between the two diseases, 
nor does the one lead to the other. 

Asthenopia generally affects the two eyes pretty equally. If 
only one eye is affected, and the other good, the disease is apt 
!to pass undetected. Asthenopia rarely commences in those 
who have reached the middle period of life, but almost exclu¬ 
sively takes its origin in childhood or youth. The habit of 
body of asthenopic patients is generally delicate, for we rarely, 
if ever, meet with the disease in robust or plethoric subjects. 
Females are as frequently the subjects of .this disease as males. 

There are certain diseases of the eye, with which asthenopia 
is very apt to be confounded, such as photobia, or dread of 
light; myopia, or short-sightedness; presbyopia, or long-sight¬ 
edness; night or day blindness; amblyopia; and incomplete 
amaurosis. On the other hand, it is by no means uncommon to 
find asthenopia complicated, either with some,other disease of 
the eye or with some general disorder of the nervous or of the 
circulating system. Asthenopia is often attended by consider¬ 
able depression of the powers of the mind as well as those of 
the body, and the disease becomes seriously aggravated by the 


ADVICE ON ASTHENOPIA. 


65 


mental apprehension of the patient. In order to allay these 
gloomy forebodings, a careful and thorough examination, should 
be made, so as to become satisfied whether there is any disease 
complicated with the asthenopia that is likely to destroy or 
seriously impair the vision. If there is ,not, assure the patient, 
in the most confident way possible, that he need not have any 
apprehensions about being blind-; that, in fact, he could not 
become blind from the asthenopia if he were to try. A patient 
thus relieved of the terrible apprehension of becoming blind 
almost invariably improves. 

The cause or causes of asthenopia are somewhat wrapped in 
obscurity. In many cases, it appears to be an idiopathic dis¬ 
ease, resulting entirely from over-exertion of the sight; work- 
ing by artificial light, as in night-wmrk of all kinds, and espe¬ 
cially in night-study; want of sleep is sometimes the chief 
agent in producing the disease; prolonged, investigations with 
the micros-cope, is sometimes the cause of asthenopia; undue 
exercise of the sight, while a person is convalescing from some 
general and acute disease; wliat may be called the fashionable 
and hothouse education of modern times, is a fruitful source ot 
this disease; the ophthalmia of childhood or of youth may give 
rise to it, particularly scrofulous inflammation of the eyes; in¬ 
juries of the eye, and, still more readily, injuries of the branches 
of the fifth nerve around the orbit, are apt to give rise to 
asthenopia; asthenopia is often traceable to affections of the 
brain; the teething of children, any malignant disease of the 
body, excessive venery, masturbation, spermatorrhoea, congen¬ 
ital imperfection in the organs of vision, a bent position of the 
body during work, constipation, dyspepsia, agitation, grief, sud¬ 
den fright, and the use of narcotics, such as alcohol, opium, or 
tobacco, which tend to blind all our sensitive and motive powers; 
in fact, debilitating influences of every kind, are apt to aggra¬ 
vate, if not induce, asthenopia. 

Different definitions are given of this disease: McKenzie 
calls it “ incapability of sustaining the eye in adjustment of 
near objects;.” Lawrence says, “an affection of the retina from 
excessive employment, commonly called weakness of sight;” 
5 


66 


ADVICE ON ASTHENOPIA. 


and Stellwag defines it, “ first, the inability to keep the dioptric 
system or the visual lines, for a long period, directed to near 
objects; and, secondly, in close pathological relation to this 
condition, hypCraesthesia, or exalted sensibility of the retina 
and ciliary nerves.” This definition of Stellwag’s is, undoubt¬ 
edly, the best of the three; but it does not fully define the dis¬ 
ease called asthenopia, for there are cases of refractive errors 
and muscular disturbances not properly of the ciliary muscle, 
as well as cases in. which neuralgic symptoms predominate, 
which cannot be included in this definition. 

Success in the treatment of this disease depends, to a very 
great extent, upon its cause; if it has originated from disease 
of the brain, from injury to a branch of the fifth nerve, or from 
one of the ophthalmiae, the prognosis would be somewhat unfa¬ 
vorable. If the disease is connected wfith plethora or local 
congestion, the prognosis is better; but if the patient is much 
debilitaed or of a scrofulous constitution, it is very unfavorable. 
In some cases, it is our duty to declare the disease incurable, 
and give a reason for this opinion. There are, however, a 
great many cases of asthenopia which are amenable to treat¬ 
ment, and this treatment will depend, to a great extent, upon 
the cause of the disease and the constitutional strength or in¬ 
firmity of the patient. As a general principle, the patient 
must endeavor to desist from everything which has a tendency 
to w T eaken the nervous system or exhaust the organs of vision. 
Luxury and indolence should be avoided, and, instead, should 
be substituted early rising, a hard bed, plain and w’holesome 
food, abstinence from the use of alcohol and tobacco and other 
bad practices, with plenty of exercise in the open air of the 
country. The application of medicines, either locally or gen¬ 
erally, must depend entirely upon the judgment of the physi¬ 
cian who will be guided by the nature of the case, its cause and 
present symptoms, and by the constitution and present condi¬ 
tion of the patient. 

Certain cases of asthenopia can be cured by the use of con¬ 
vex glasses, a strong proof that the seat of the disease must be, 
in part, the apparatus of accommodation, for the employment 


ADVICE ON MUSCJE VOLITANTES. 


67 


of such glasses relieves the eye almost as completely as it does 
that of presbyopia. When the patient has procured his glasses, 
which he should never do without the advice of a good oculist 
or optician, let him use them in the way and manner prescribed 
for him by his adviser, and he will find a marked improvement 
in a short time, which will inspire him with hope and zeal for 
further and permanent benefit. I, myself, during a practice of 
40 years as an oculist and optician, have cured hundreds of 
cases by the aid of convex glasses, conjoined with medical 
treatment, such as stimulating embrocations, etc., etc., etc., 


MUSCLE VOLITANTES. 

Muscse volitantes appear to the patient who has made no par¬ 
ticular examination of them, under the form of blackish motes, 
or of a thin film, like the wing of a fly, or of semi-transparent 
grey threads, like spider’s web; but if viewed attentively 
against the clear sky, a white wall, or the like, they are recog¬ 
nized to be made up of appearances such as the following; — 

1st. A convoluted string of beads, 
or a convoluted transparent tube, con¬ 
taining in its interior a row of beads 
smaller than its diameter, except here 
and there where one larger than the 
« | fj/ j | rest is seen occupying its whole diam- 
eter, the end of the string or tube 



sometimes presenting a dark, knobbed 
extremity as if formed by an aggrega¬ 
tion of the beads composing the string, 
or contained within the tube. 

2d- Insulated beads, some of which, 
and these the more frequent, have a 
well-defined outline; others, and these 
rarer, have an indistinct outline; and, 
3rd. A parcel of flexuous, round, watery-looking or spun- 
glass-like filaments, with dark contours, often divided inferiorly 
into truncated branches. 


if 

(Fig. 23.) 



68 


ADVICE ON MUSCJE VOLITANTES. 


These different appearances may be seen altogether, the 
beaded appearance on one side of the parcel of watery-looking 
filaments, and interspersed, here and there, the insulated beads, 
one or two of the well-defined of which often appearing as if 
attached to the outside of the beaded tubes; or some one of the 
appearances may be seen principally or exclusively. According 
as the distance of the object against which the muscae volitantes 
are viewed is greater or less, they appear larger and fainter, or 
smaller and more distinct. Vision is not affected by floating 
muscae. Between the several portions of the muscae and by the 
side of them, the eye still sees everything with perfect distinct¬ 
ness. Even the portions of the retina, over wdiich the shadows 
which cause the appearance of the muscae fall, are found by the 
patient, when the corpuscles ascend out of the field of vision, 
to be perfectly sensible. 

Muscae volitantes are often detected suddenly, and thus sup¬ 
posed to have just occurred. They are most observed when 
the patient looks at the clear sky, a thin cloud, snow on the 
ground, a white wall, or the like. They are not much, if at all, 
noticed under the opposite circumstances of a dull night, and 
looking at a dark object. They are not much seen when near 
objects are looked at. They are rarely seen in the axis of 
vision, but generally seen to one or the other side, or above or 
below. The patient thus seeing them only by a side glance, 
finds it difficult to fix them in order to study their appearance. 
They move as the eyes move, upwards or downwards, or from 
side to side; but besides this motion, which, as dependent on 
that of the eye, is merely apparent, the muscae have a real mo¬ 
tion of their own, and still more extensive than their apparent 
motion. Thus, if from looking before him in a horizontal direc¬ 
tion, the patient suddenly raises his eyes and fixes them on 
some object above the horizon, he observes that the muscae fly 
upwards, considerably above that degree of elevation, and even 
beyond the field of vieAV, and then come sailing down before 
him, till they disappear below. Besides the motion of ascent 
and decent, the muscae volitantes under consideration present 
lateral movements, although less marked, as well as changes in 
the relative positions of their several parts. 


ADVICE ON MUSCAS. VOLITANTES. 


69 


Nature of Floating Muscce ,—Hitherto, a very common opin¬ 
ion as to the nature of floating muscae has been, that they are 
subjective sensations, depending on some intrinsic change of 
state of the optic nervous apparatus, thus confounding them 
with mixed muscse; but that they are truly objective sensations, 
occasioned by the presence of particles in the interior of the 
eye, but extrinsic, and in front of the retina, throwing their 
diffracted shadows on the retina, admits of mathematical dem¬ 
onstration. But, without entering minutely into the matter, 
the matter may be easily demonstrated thus:—Hold between a 
convex lens and the white surface on which the image of the 
light falls, some small object, as a pin. When this is near the 
lens, its shadow is not seen on the white ground, but when it is 
brought nearer and nearer the white surface, its shadow appears 
more and more distinctly. 

The particles, moreover, appear to be of normal occurrence 
in the eye, for the appearance of floating muscae may, in gen¬ 
eral, be seen by any person by simply looking through a small 
aperture in a card at the clear sky, or through the eye-glass of 
a compound microscope at the flame of a candle two or three 
feet distant, or simply bringing the eyelids towards each other, 
and looking at a lighted candle. 

Nature of the Particles , the Presence of which Occasions 
Floating MiiSew. —This has not yet been with certainty deter¬ 
mined. In the vitreous humor (as also in the aqueous) there is 
contained a great number of corpuscles, most of them resem¬ 
bling lymph-corpuscles, though smaller, being between 
and - 5 -qL^ of an inch in diameter; but it appears from the cal¬ 
culations of Brewster, Mackenzie, and Reute, that the size of 
the particles, the presence of which occasions floating muscae, 
is much greater than this. Muscae volitantes are often seen by 
persons without any particular notice of them being taken, as 
they are distinct, present themselves occasionally only, and are 
therefore not troublesome. Their appearance in cataract is 
owing to the opaque lens acting much in the same way as the 
perforated card. 

They are seen most distinctly, and are, therefore, most trou- 


70 


ADVICE ON MUSCiE VOLITANTES. 


blesome, when there exists an irritable state of the retina, with 
weakened irradiation. Such a state of the retina may therefore 
be viewed as the general condition on which floating muscae, 
considered as a disease depend. Dilution of the images of ex¬ 
ternal objects favors, distinctness, on the contrary, prevents the 
perception of muscae. Hence, when the person is short or far¬ 
sighted, they appear far less evident to him when he uses the 
glasses fitted to render his vision distinct. This appears to be 
owing to the stronger impression of the external objects mak¬ 
ing up for the weakened irradiation, so that the weak impres¬ 
sion of the objects of the muscae is more readily effaced. The 
pupil of an eye affected with muscae volitantes is generally con¬ 
tracted, even when the eye is myopic. From what has been 
said, it will be seen that the occurrence of floating muscae is of 
itself no indication that either cataract or amaurosis is taking 
place. If, however, there be along with the appearance of 
muscae a failure of vision, and if that failure be not attributable 
to myopia or presbyopia, which may be ascertained by a con¬ 
cave or convex glass not improving the vision, then cataract or 
amaurotic amblyopia may possibly exist. 

In uncomplicated cases, the muscae may indeed increase in 
numbers, but very slowly, and never to such an extent as to 
interfere with the distinctness of vision in any very troublesome 
degree. But sometimes the muscae remain stationary, or even 
become less. A question which the patient is very likely to 
put to us is, whether the floating motes or threads which he 
sees are not liable to increase, and that to such a degree as at 
length to deprive him of sight. That they increase is true, 
although only very slowly, and never to such an extent as ma¬ 
terially to interfere with vision. Even when the whole field of 
vision presents entohyaloid spectra, the patient is still able to 
read, although, as he continues to do so, the muscae sometimes 
gather together, so as to render portions of the page before him 
temporarily obscure. Very often they remain stationary for 
ten or twenty years, or increase by almost insensible degrees; 
and although alarming at first, the patient gets habituated to 
them, and troubles himself no more about them. I believe the 


ADVICE ON MUSCJ3 VOLITANTES. 


T1 


increase of myodesopsia arises more from the eye becoming in 
a greater degree susceptible to the impressions of the bodies 
which cause the disease, than from any increase of the bodies 
themselves. This increasing susceptibility arises from over-use 
of the eyes, and from searching for and examining the muscse 
too much. 

Many authorities might be quoted, to prove that entohyaloid 
muscae increase only with extreme slowness, and sometimes 
become even less perceptible. “I know many people who have 
complained to me of such things fifteen or twenty years ago, 
and who are still in the.same state.” 

“These kinds of phantoms, which increase very slowly dur¬ 
ing the first five or six years, continue during the whole remain¬ 
der of life without any kind of inconvenience. * * * I 

know a great number of persons who have seen them thirty, 
forty years, and more, without their number or their figure 
having undergone the slightest change.” 

“It is certainly for from twenty to thirty years that I have 
seen these same appearances,” says Prevost, at the age of 50; 
and at the age of 79, he adds:—“Since, up to a very advanced 
age, I have enjoyed very good sight, I may support, by my 
case, the opinion of the oculists who reckon these appearances 
of small importance.” 

“They are quite innocent in their nature, and exist in per¬ 
sons whose powers of vision are most acute. I have been sub¬ 
ject to them from childhood.” 

Treatment of Entohyaloid Muscce .—Entohyaloid or floating 
muscae are not much under control, and are very seldom re¬ 
moved by medical applications. If of old standing, and not 
increasing it is needless to interfere. When of recent origin, 
and the exciting cause evident, they are sometimes cured. The 
treatment most likely to be useful is as follows: 

1st. The patient must be put on his guard against the excit¬ 
ing causes, and carefully avoid them; such as too much strain¬ 
ing of the sight, excess of every sort, night-watching, and the 
use of alcohol in any form or quantity. “The only means 
which often does good in this disease,” says Dr. J. B. Walker, 


72 


ADVICE ON MUSCJE VOLITANTES. 


of this city, “is rest of the eyes, and refraining from every 
employment which strains the sight. I know patients who have 
got completely free from muscae volitantes which they had seen 
for several years, by long-continued rest, which, however, again 
appeared, as soon as they wrought for some days, so as to 
strain their sight.” 

2d. If the stomach is weak and the bowels costive, a course 
of laxatives, followed by tonics, should be prescribed. To 
strengthen the constitution, and especially the nervous system, 
should by every likely means be attempted. This : indication 
will best be answered by cinchona, steel, and the cold bath. 

8d. A torpid state of the liver requires small doses of the 
blue pill, either by itself or combined with purgatives. I have 
known a gentle course of mercury successful in curing the dis¬ 
ease, probably by its sorbefacient powers. Iodide of potassium 
I have also found completely successful in removing muscse vol- 
itantes of recent standing. 

4th. Where the symptoms of determination of blood to the 
head are well marked, venesection or arteriotomy, leeches to 
the head, or cupping and counter-irritation are indicated. Of 
twelve cases treated by Dr. Schlagintweit, eight, we are : told, 
were cured by solvent and derivative medicines, and by bleed¬ 
ing at the foot. 

5th. When muscae appear to depend on disease of the heart, 
leeches are recommended, by Mr. Wardrop, to be applied over 
this organ till its impulse is diminished. The fulfilment of this 
indication may be promoted by small doses of antimony and 
the use of laxatives. If the patient complains of cold feet, the 
warm pediluvium is to be used at bedtime; and it may be re¬ 
marked that this simple remedy is of great importance, where 
the disease is connected with a difficulty of obtaining sleep. 

An irritable state of the heart, remaining after its impulse is 
subdued, Mr. Wardrop endeavors to remove by the exhibition 
of sulphate of iron. 

6th. Antispasmodics appear to have been chiefly confided in 
by Ware in the treatment of muscae; such as, two or three 
times a day, a small dose of the volatile tincture of valerian, 


ADVICE ON GRANULAR INFLAMMATION. 73 

mixed with an equal quantity of tincture of castor, and joined 
occasionally with the camphor mixture, or with the infusion of 
cascarilla. 

7th. Exercise in the open air, and a change of residence, 
and such occupations and amusements as are likely to withdraw 
the mind from any source of anxiety and distress, are found to 
be beneficial. A course of mineral waters has sometimes been 
successful, probably more from the change of scene, hilarity of 
mind, exercise of body, and regularity of habits, by which such 
a course is accompanied, than from the effects of the waters 
themselves. 

8th. If the eyes feel hot, heavy, or uncomfortable, they 
should be bathed with either some cold or warm application, 
according as the patient feels one or the other more agreeable. 
Cold water, or a cold lotion, consisting of water with a small 
proportion of spiritus aetheris nitrosi, will answer in the one 
case; tepid water, or a tepid infusion of any aromatic herb, in 
the other. Sponging the forehead, temples, and outside of the 
eyelids, morning and evening, with a camphorated tincture of 
rosemary, eau de Cologne, or the like, is also recommended. 


GRANULAR INFLAMMATION, OR GRANULATED 
EYELIDS. 



(Fig. :ii.) 



74 


ADVICE ON GRANULAR INFLAMMATION. 


This is one of the most frequent, and by far the most obsti¬ 
nate, of all the diseases to which the eye is subject. It is to 
be found in all places, and among all classes of people, and is 
very prevalent throughout the wide Western prairies. Thou¬ 
sands upon thousands are at this moment sufferers by this ter¬ 
rible destroyer of the human eye, and thousands are now grop¬ 
ing their weary way in darkness, never again to behold the 
face of man, or to witness the rising or setting of a summer 
sun. This disease, which so effectually and certainly destroys 
the sight in the course of its natural career, may generally be 
recognized, after it has become fairly established, by the fol¬ 
lowing appearances:— 

Its commencement is marked with the usual indications of 
inflammation, such as itching, and soreness in the corner of the 
eye, and oftentimes not characterized by much severe pain. 
It usually attacks one eye first, and the second soon follows; 
and the last eye attacked is often much the worst. In the 
course of a few days, or sometimes in a day from the first ap¬ 
pearance of the disease, the eyes will be. filled with adhesive 
matter, gluing them firmly together during sleep. The first, or 
inflammatory stage of the disease, which is not usually very 
severe, soon passes over, and the eyes begin to feel much more 
comfortable; still, they do not get well, and every change of 
weather, from dry to wet, or from heat to cold, is likely to pro¬ 
duce an unfavorable change in the condition of the eyes. The 
sight becomes dull and misty, and the lids not more than half 
uncovering the organ. The mist now increases, and the eyes 
grow weak and sensative to the light. 

This characterizes the forming stage of granular inflamma¬ 
tion ; and now, if the eyes be carefully examined, as follows, 
the true character of the disease will be readily discovered. 

(For the treatment of this disease, I refer to my book on 
“ Ophthalmic Surgery.”) 


ADVICE ON PURULENT INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES. 75 

PURULENT INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES OF 
NEW-BORN INFANTS. 

This disease, though ■ not of very common occurrence, is occa¬ 
sionally met with, and from its dangerous nature requires a 
passing notice. 

It commences with a light-yellow or straw-colored discharge, 
which gathers at the inner angle of the eyes, and glues them 
together. In the course of two or three days, the lids begin to 
swell and puff up, matter increases, the ball seems to protrude, 
and the eye becomes very sensitive to light; and in bad cases, 
the delicate membrane which lines the entire socket becomes^ so 
enormously tumefied and swollen as to protrude through the 
lids, while the eyes are so completely concealed from view by 
the swelling that they cannot be examined, even by the greatest 
exertion. This stage exists but a very short time, for the deli¬ 
cate cornea , or front of the eye, mortified, in part, or wholly so 
—^generally the latter—and then the disease begins to subside; 
one or both organs having been completely destroyed by the rapid 
course which it usually takes. Whenever the premonitory 
symptoms of this disease present themselves in the infant, it 
should be promptly treated by those who understand the nature 
and danger of the case. 


DISEASE CONTAGIOUS. 

This disease is readily contagious under favorable circum¬ 
stances, and frequently attacks whole families within a few days 
of each other. Children as well as adults suffer severely from 
this disease, and if not promptly met in these young subjects, 
it is almost sure to eventuate in the loss of one or both eyes, 
The disease,,however, I consider, is not sp violent in this country 
as has been described in the foregoing statement, except in a 
few rare instances. I have had cases of this description within 
the last three years, where the disease had appeared only 48 
hours before I saw the patient, yet both eyes were completely 
ruined, and the whole organ in a complete state of mortification. 



76 ADVICE ON DISEASE CONTAGIOUS. 

In some cases the disease, is slight and, disappears by simple 
means; in others it extends to the adjoining parts of the eye, 
and the sight is greatly injured or perhaps entirely destroyed— 
thus indicating the necessity of attention to the slightest attack, 
as such untoward consequences may result from neglect. 

Treatment .—In mild cases, aperients, abstinence from stimu- 
lents, and either warm or cold application, as is most agreeable 
to the patient’s feelings, is all that will be required. A sooth¬ 
ing, warm application may be made by boiling 2 ounce of poppy 
heads in one pint of water; or 20 grains of extract of opium 
may be dissolved in half a pint of warm water, and 2 ounce of 
spirits of mindererus, added thereto—10 grains of pulverized 
mur. ammon; 10 grains of pulverized alum; 10 grains of acetate 
of zinc; 10 grain each to a pint of water—this will make a 
suitable cold, lotion. A single fold of linen cloth, saturated in 
this solution, must be laid over the eye, and frequently changed. 
Never apply poultices or compresses to the eye; they increase 
the heat and inflammation, and prevent a free circulation of air 
round the eye. If the light is hurtful to the eye, I recommend 
neutral tinted glasses to modify the light. 

Cases have occurred where both eyes were totally destroyed 
in 24 hours, although the attack was not accompanied by much 
pain. 

The acute form frequently degenerates into the chronic. 
This also arises .very gradually and almost imperceptibly from 
any of the causes mentioned in the last chapter, from tumors 
within the eyes, granular lids, or from the eyelashes growing 
inwards. 

Syynfitoms .—The bloodvessels have lost their natural tone, 
are enlarged and distended; the eye is weak and watery, and 
there is more or less irritation. The lids frequently are glued 
together in the morning by a discharge of adhesive matter that 
accumulates during sleep. 

The treatment must be directed to the removal of the cause 
and the strengthening of the debilitated vessels. For the latter 
purpose, take 


ADVICE ON EGYPTIAN OPHTHALMIA. 77 

Sulphate of Copper, —---3 grs. 

Sulphate of Morphine,_____2 grs. 

Water,---- 1 0 z. 

Mix Or, 

Sulphate of Zinc,-----4 grs. 

Rose Water, — ------1 0 z. 

Morphine,— -—_1 gr. 

Mix. 


Prop one or two drops of either of these into the eye, night 
and morning, and apply, before going to bed, a small portion of 
glycerine ointment to the edges of the lids; and if there is much 
pain, I recommend tincture of iodine, as an embrocation around 
the temple and forehead, every two or three days. 

Before applying the remedies night and Hiorning, wash off 
with a little tepid water and a linen cloth or sponge any matter 
that has collected about the roots of the eyelashes. This should 
be carefully and completely done, otherwise the application will 
not reach the affected parts. After washing, as above, use the 
eyewater; carefully dry the eyes with a piece of linen, and 
then, with the finger, rub the salve gently, but thoroughly, into 
the sides and rootg of the eyelashes. 

If these remedies do not produce the desired effect, the 
patient must seek further advice. 


EGYPTIAN OPHTHALMIA. 

A FRIGHTFUL DISEASE. 

I will now endeavor to give a brief statement of the character 
and consequence of some of the diseases of the eye most com¬ 
monly met with in this Western country; but the nature of this 
work will barely admit of my doing more than simply refer to 
them, and to show to what an alarming extent they sometimes 
advance. 

Symptoms .—Egyptian ophthalmia is a most frightful form of 
inflammation of the eye. It is rapid in its progress and destruc¬ 
tive in its effects. The symptoms which characterize the disease 
are, at first sight, redness, and sensation of heat. The organ 
soon becomes painful, and has a feeling as if sand and dirt had 








78 ADVICE OK SIMPLE INFLAMMATION. 

got into the eye. Itching is also experienced more or less, and 
at night the eye will be glued together by the formation of 
matter. The pain and redness increases, light becomes dull, 
with more or less headache, water and matter are both abund¬ 
antly poured out, and sometimes, in the course of two or three 
days, the eye will be lost by the excessive swelling of the mem¬ 
brane and consequent mortification. One eye is usually much 
worse than the other; and after it has been lost, the disease 
may abate, or if badly managed, may continue its destructive 
work till the other has been lost also. 


SIMPLE INFLAMMATION. 

Simple inflammation of the eye, arising from cold and other 
causes, is also frequently to be met with, and is of course at¬ 
tended with a great variety of changes in the course of progress, 
depending on circumstances, and on the habits and constitution 
of the patient. 

Inflammation from such causes is readily curable, if taken in 
good time, but too often the disease is meddled with and irrita¬ 
ted by improper treatment, so that what was of itself a very 
trifling disease is often converted into one troublesome and 
tedious. Diet and rest , both of the body and of the diseased 
organ, with a little opening medicine, will suffice in most in¬ 
stances to put the trouble aside, if begun in good season; some 
cooling lotion or cold water, or a little alum and water, may 
also be used as a local application; and when this does not suf¬ 
fice, rest assured it is no trifle, and the sooner you consult a 
competent person the better. 



79 


DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 

The eyes constitute the organ of vision; they are situated in 
the cavities of the orbits, and surrounded by several parts to 
protect them from injury, and assist in the performance of their 
various motions. 

The orbits are of a conical figure, situated in the fore part of . 
the cranium, formed of the different processes of the following 
bones:— 

The upper part of each, by the orbitar plates of the frontal 
bone; the inferior, by the superior maxillary bone; the inter¬ 
nal, by the orbitar part of the os unguis and pars plana of the 
ethmoid bone; the external, by the orbitar plates of the sphe¬ 
noid and malar bones; the posterior, by the sphenoid and palate 
bones. The cavities of the orbits are lined with productions of 
the dura mater, which pass the foramina optica and lacera, and, 
at the anterior edges of the orbits, join the periosteum of the 
face, where they supply the place of ligaments to the palpebrm. 

The eye consists of the globe, or ball, and its appendages. 
The latter consists of the muscles, nerves, arteries, and lachry¬ 
mal apparatus. The eye is protected by the superior and in¬ 
ferior palpebrae; the superior consists of the skin, fibres of the 
orbicularis palpebrarum, tarsal cartilage, fibres of the levator 
palpebrm superioris, and the tunica conjunctiva; the inferior^ 
of the same parts, with the exception of the levator palpebrse 



superioris. 


12 10 


14- 









80 


DISSECTION OE THE EYE. 


The preceding, diagram is intended to point out the lachrymal 
apparatus:— 


1. The superior tarsus. 

2. The inferior tarsus. 

3. The external canthus. 

4. The internal canthus. 

5. The cilia, or eyelashes. 

6. The situation of the Meibomian 

glands. 

7. The lachrymal gland. - 


8. The lachrymal artery ramifying 

upon it. 

9. The lachrymal ducts. 

10. The two puncta lachrymalia. 

11. The caruncula lachrymalis. 

12. The lachrymal ducts. 

13. The lachrymal sac. 

14. The ductus ad nasum, 


The tarsi, a thin cartilaginous arch, situated in the edge of 
each eyelid, the upper one being considerably broader than the 
lower, and each broader at its middle than towards its extremi¬ 
ties. They terminate at a little distance from the inner angle 
of the eye; their edges are so placed, that when the Cyelids are 
shut, a groove is left near the eye, by which the tears are con¬ 
veyed towards the nose. The tarsi serve to keep the eyelids 
extended, allow them to be accurately applied to each other, 
and prevent them from being collected into folds. 

The canthi are the union of the two tarsi; by some they are 
called the tarsal ligaments. The internal one is much larger 
than the external, and contains the two puncta lachrymalia and 
caruncula lachrymalis. 

The cilia, or eyelashes, are small, stiff hairs placed on each 
side of the eyelids. Those of the upper lid are bent upwards, 
and are considerably longer than those of the under lid, which 
are bent in the opposite direction: they are wanting near the 
inner angle. The cilia prevent dust, insects, etc., from getting 
into the eye, assist in moderating the quantity of light sent into 
it, and add to the beauty of the face. 

The Meibomian glands are placed between the tarsi and lin¬ 
ing of the eyelids, forming a series of white lines or follicles, 
and running in a serpentine direction; when viewed through a 
magnifier, they appear like rows of pearls.. From their sub¬ 
stance an oily or sebaceous matter ipay be squeezed out through 
the foramina or puncta ciliaria, placed: upon the edges of the 
eyelids. The matter of these glands facilitates the motions of 
the eyelids, and prevents their accretion during sleep. 1 

The lachrymal gland is situated upon the upper and outer 


DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 


81 


part of the eye, in a hollow behind the outer part of the super¬ 
ciliary ridge of the frontal bone. It is of the conglomerate kind, 
of a yellowish color, oblong form, and a little flattened, with 
one end pointing to the nose, the other to the outer angle of the 
eye. The excretory ducts of this gland (seven or eight in num¬ 
ber), on account of their smallness, are not often seen; they 
terminate on the inner side of the upper eyelid, near the outer 
angle of the eye, and upper edge of the tarsus. The us 3 of the 
lachrymal gland is to secrete the tears, which are spread over 
the surface of the eye by their own weight, and by the motion 
of the eyelids, for the purpose of preserving the delicacy of the 
eye, and particularly the transparency of the cornea. 

The puncta lachrymalia are two small orifices situated at the 
inner canthus, one in the upper, the other in the under eyelid, 
at the extremity of the tarsus, and opposite to each other. 
Each punctum is seated obliquely upon a little eminence, and 
is surrounded with a cartilaginous circle, which keeps it con¬ 
stantly open. The puncta lachrymalia are the orifices of two 
small canals termed lachrymal ducts, or cornua limacum, which 
run in the direction of the edges of the eyelids towards the side 
of the nose, where they approach each other, and terminate to¬ 
gether in the lachrymal sac. The tears which remain after 
moistening the eye are absorbed by the puncta, in the manner 
of capillary attraction, and are conveyed through their ducts 
into the lachrymal sac by the impulse of the eyelids.* 

The caruncula lachrymalis is a small gland of a reddish color, 
of the conglomerate kind, supplying sebaceous matter to this 
part of the eyelids; and serving in particular to separate the 
puncta lachrymalia, and to direct the tears to them while the 
eyelids are shut. Minute hairs are found upon the surface of 
this body, serving to entangle small objects which get into the 
eye. 

The lachrymal sac is a receptacle for the tears, and is placed 
in a fissure formed by the os unguis and superior maxillary 

* From the diagram on the foregoing page, the student may learn how a 
probe should be inserted into the ductus ad nasuih, viz.: by introducing it first 
in an horizontal, then in a perpendicular direction. 


82 


DISSECTION. OF THE EYE. 


bone; the ductus ad nasum is a continuation of the sac, and 
conveys the superfluous tears into the nose. 

The ball or globe of the eye is composed of common and true 
coats, which the accompanying diagram is intended to point out: 


98741 2 10 65 



1. The tunica conjunctiva. 

2. The tunica albuginea. 

3. The tunica sclerotica. 

4. The cornea. 

5. The tunica choroides. 

6. The ciliary nerves passing between the choroid and sclerotic coat. 

7. The iris, which is connected to the choroid membrane by the ciliary 
ligament or circle. 

8. The pupil. 

9. The anterior chamber, 1 , . . ,, , 

10. The posterior chamber, } containing the aqueous humor. 

11. The optic nerve, seen perforating the sclerotic and choroid membranes, 
to be expanded into the retina, and the arteria centralis retinae piercing the 
optic nerve. 

12. The retina, with its artery ramifying upon its surface. 

13. The foramen of Soemmering. 

14. The ciliary ligament, seen connecting the iris to the choroid membrane. 

15. The ciliary processes. 

16. The crystalline lens surrounded by its capsule. 

17. The vitreous humor surrounded by its capsule. 

18. The zonula ciliaris. 

19. The canalis Petitianus. 

1. The tunica conjunctiva, or tunica adnata, named from its 
connecting the eye to the orbit, is a reflection of the skin con- 










DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 


83 


tinued from tarsus to tarsus, and canthus to canthuSj over the 
whole fore part of the ball of the eye. It forms a small fold at 
the inferior tarsus, between it and the caruncula lachrymalis, 
termed valvula semilunaris. It is in form of a crescent, the 
horns of which are turned towards the puncta lachrymalia, to 
assist the caruncula in conducting the tears to the puncta. It 
is larger in the ape, and other quadrupeds, than in the human 
species, and still larger in birds; in which, as well as in quad¬ 
rupeds, it is called membrana nictitans. 

The tunica conjunctiva adheres slightly by means of cellular 
substance to the white of the eye, but so firmly to the cornea, 
as to be separated from it with difficulty. It is so remarkably 
thin, that the color of the subjacent parts appears readily 
through it; it supports the ball of the eye, prevents extraneous 
bodies from getting to the back part of it, and forms a smooth 
covering to lessen the friction between the eye and eyelids, and 
it is said to be a mucous membrane. 

Between this coat and the white part of the eye, a quantity 
of loose cellular substance is found, which is very vascular, and 
is the common seat of ophthalmia. Under the tunica conjunc¬ 
tiva the recti muscles are said to send off a tendinous expansion, 
which passes. over the Cornea, termed the tunica albuginea; 
these constitute the common coats of the eye. 

The tunica sclerotica, named from its hardness, is the largest 
and strongest coat of the eye, covering the whole ball, except¬ 
ing the parts occupied by the entrance of the optic nerve be¬ 
hind, and by the cornea before. It is so firmly fixed to the 
edge of the cornea, that it has been considered as a continua¬ 
tion of the same substance; but it differs from the cornea, 
being of a pure white color, formed of fibres running in every 
direction, and closely interwoven with each other, and not divis¬ 
ible into layers. It is thickest posteriorly, and receives a little 
tinge on the inner surface, from the choroid coat, with which it 
is in contact. 

The cornea, so called from its resemblance to horn, is termed 
by many authors cornea lucida, to distinguish it from the scle¬ 
rotica, which these authors call cornea opaca. It forms the an- 


84 


DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 

terior, pellucid covering of the eye, is more convex than the 
rest of the hall, and is; joined to the tunica sclerotica, like.the 
segment of a small sphere to that of a large one. The convex¬ 
ity, however, varies in different persons, so as to form a short 
or long sighted eye, according as the cornea is njpre or less 
prominent. In a recent subject, it is hard, dense, and trans¬ 
parent; but after maceration in water, it becomes soft and 
opaque, and may be readily separated, especially in young ani¬ 
mals, into different lamellae, the anterior of which is the con¬ 
tinuation of the tunica adnata. By a slight degree of putrefac¬ 
tion, it may also be separated from the tunica sclerotica, and is 
found attached to it, as a watch-glass is to a watch. It collects 
the rays of light and transmits them to the eye, protects the 
tender parts within it, and contains the aqueous humor. 

The tunica choroides lies under the sclerotica, and is con¬ 
nected to it by the trunks of vessels and nerves which pass from 
the one coat to the other, and also by a tender cellular sub¬ 
stance, of a brown color, which tinges the inner surface .of the 
sclerotica. It begins at the entrance of the optic nerve into 
the eye, runs between the sclerotica and retina nearly to the 
crystalline lens, where it is more firmly conneeted to the scle¬ 
rotic coat than it is elsewhere, by means of the ciliary circle. 

Many veins are observed on the choroid coat, running in 
various directions, making frequent anastomoses, termed venae 
vorticosae. 

The ciliary nerves are also to be observed passing between 
the choroid and sclerotic coats; they are .sent, off from the lenti¬ 
cular ganglion, and run to be distributed upon the iris, ciliary 
ligament, and processes. 

In the human eye, the choroid coat is of a dusky, brown 
color, both externally and internally ; but the color varies con¬ 
siderably in the eyes of different animals. 

Upon the inner side of the chroid coat there is a mucus, the 
color of which, in different animals, is found to correspond some¬ 
what with the general color of the hair and skin; though, com¬ 
monly, in the human body, it is of a blackish-brown, termed 
pigmentum nigrum; the darkness of the shade, however, still 


DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 


85 


corresponding with that of the hair. It is supposed to be pro¬ 
duced from the vessels of this coat, and is blackest and thickest 
at the fore part of the eye, where it adheres so firmly as to be 
removed with difficulty; but behind it is thinner, more fluid, 
and more easily removed, becoming gradually less evident to¬ 
wards the optic nerve, round which it almost disappears. In 
advanced age, the pigmentum nigrum becomes more diluted and 
of a lighter color, so that the vessels of the choroid coat may be 
seen shining through the vitreous humor. 

The choroid coat, with its dark paint, serves to intercept the 
rays of light which pass through the retina, thereby allowing a 
distinct image to be formed upon the bottom of the eye, and 
preventing the rays from being reflected, so as to form £ second 
image. In those animals in which this coat, or its paint, is of 
a brighter color, it acts as a mirror to reflect light, and make 
the impression stronger. 

The iris, so named from being in some persons of different 
colors, is the only coat of the eye which possesses motion. It 
was considered as a continuation of the choroid coat, until de¬ 
scribed by Zinn, who shows that it is only connected to this 
coat by the medium of the ciliary ligament. It is placed at a 
little distance from the cornea, begins a small way behind the 
junction of that coat with the sclerotica, and, running across, 
it forms a septum, a little convex anteriorly, and perforated in 
the middle by a hole, called the pupil, or sight of the eye. In 
the foetus, the pupil is occupied by a vascular membrane, termed 
membrana pupillaris, which generally disappears between the 
seventh and ninth month of gestation. Upon the back part of 
the iris there is a dark-colored pigment, which has been consid¬ 
ered as a posterior layer of the iris, called uvea, from its resem¬ 
blance in color to the grape. When the paint is washed off, 
the iris exhibits two sets of fibres, concerning which various 
opinions have been entertained; one set in the form of radii, 
the different colors of which give the diversity of color to the 
eye; the other circular, surrounding the inner edge of the iris, 
and considered as the sphincter muscle of the pupil. The iris 
floats in the aqueous humor, and is of such a nature, that' upon 


86 


DISSECTION OE THE EXE. 


exposure > to a strong light, or when the eye looks upon a near 
object, thfe diameter of the pupil is diminished, and vice versa . 

The different motions of the iris are supposed to be excited 
by the sensibility of the retina, and by the quantity of light 
w T hich falls upon that nerve. The iris serves to regulate the 
quantity of light sent to the bottom of the eye. 

The space between the cornea and the crystalline lens is di¬ 
vided into two cavities, called chambers; the anterior, situated 
between the cornea and iris, is the larger of the two; and the 
posterior, placed between the iris and crystalline lens, is so 
much smaller than the former, that its existence has been 
denied, though it is a distinct cavity, demonstrable in the adult 
where the pupil is open, and in the foetus before the pupil is 
formed. The chambers contain the aqueous humor, clear as 
the purest water, but somewhat heavier, possessing a small de¬ 
gree of vascidity, and containing a little salt. In the foetus, 
and for the first month after birth, it is reddish and turbid. 
When evacuated, it is quickly renewed; for within 48 hours 
after it has been discharged by puncture, the cornea is observed 
to be again perfectly distended. It is supposed to be secreted 
from the neighboring arteries, particularly from those on the 
fore part of the iris and ciliary processes. It serves to keep 
the cornea distended, and, by its roundish form and pellucidity, 
it collects and transmits the rays of light to the inner parts of 
the eye. It likewise guards th. iris and lens, and admits of the 
motions of the former. 

The Optic Nerve and Retina.-— The optic nerve, in its passage 
through the orbit, is covered by a continuation of the mem¬ 
branes which surround the brain. At the foramen opticum, 
the dura mater is divided into two laminm, one of which assists 
in forming the periosteum of the orbit; the other, which is 
again divided into two laminae, furnishes a sheath to the nerve, 
and accompanies it to the tunica sclerotica, to which it is firmly 
connected by cellular substance. At the back part of the ball 
of the eye, and a little removed from the axis, towards the nose, 
the fasciculi of the optic nerve pass through a cribriform part 
of the sclerotic and choroid coats. The nerve is contracted at 


DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 


87 


its entrance through the sclerotic coat, but immediately after 
its ingress it expands to form the retina—so called from its sup¬ 
posed reticular appearance. 

In the centre of the optic nerve, the artery of the retina is 
seen dividing into branches, which are dispersed upon its inner 
surface.' The retina advances between the choroid coat and 
capsule of the vitreous humor, to the fore part of the eye, and 
terminates or disappears upon the anterior part of the edge, or 
greatest diameter of the capsule of the crystalline lens. The 
retina is contiguous to the choroid coat and capsule of the vit¬ 
reous humor, but does not, by bloodvessels, or otherwise, adhere 
to either, till it reaches the ciliary ligament, under which the 
retina is so covered externally with the pigmentum nigrum, and 
adheres internally so closely to the capsule of the vitreous 
humor, as to be prevented from being seen till the black paint 
be washed off, or till all the coats be removed posteriorly, and 
the eye viewed through the medium of the vitreous humor. In 
the back part of the retina, directly in the axis of the eye, there 
is a central hole, of a dark color, surrounded with a yellow 
border, which becomes paler towards the circumference, the 
foramen of Soemmering. The retina is composed of a tender 
and pulpy-like substance, is semi-transparent, and of a light- 
gray color, resembling that of ground glass, and may be divided 
into two layers. The retina is the seat of vision, and therefore 
the primary part of the eye, to which all the other parts within 
the orbit are subservient. 

The ciliary circle, or ciliary ligament, as it is called, is com¬ 
posed of a quantity of condensed, shining, cellular substance, 
which forms a white ring connecting the fore part of the cho- 
roides, and the root or outer margin of the iris, to the sclerotica. 
The choroid coat is much thinner and more tender than the 
sclerotic, and is one of the most vascular parts of the body, 
seeming, at first sight, to be entirely composed of vessels. The 
greater number of those on the outside run in whirls; while 
those on the inside taking a direction nearly parallel to each 
other are termed the membrana ruyschiana. 

At the posterior part of the ciliary ligament there are num- 


88 


DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 


erous, pale, radiated, ciliary striae, but so covered with the pig- 
men turn nigrum as not to be distinctly seen till the paint is re¬ 
moved. These striae become gradually U ader and more ele¬ 
vated, and form white plicae or folds, termed processus ciliaries, 
the intervals of which are also covered with the pigmentum 
nigrum. 

The processus ciliares are commonly formed each of two or 
more striae. They are not all of an equal size, and many of 
them are forked at their extremities. 

The crystalline lens has its name from its resemblance to 
crystal, and from its lenticular form; though a solid body, 
which may be moulded into various shapes, it has always been 
classed among the humors of the eye. It is situated behind the 
aqueous humor, opposite to the pupil, and the whole of its pos¬ 
terior part is received into a depression on the fore part of the 
vitreous humor. Like a common lens, or magnifying glass, it 
has two convex surfaces, the anterior of which is loss convex 
than the posterior, the two being formed of segments of spheres 
of unequal size. It. has been observed that the figure of the 
lens varies at different periods, being in the foetus almost of a 
spherical form, but becoming gradually flatter on the anterior 
and posterior surfaces, till about the age of 30, after which its 
form does not appear to vary. As the figure, so, also, the color 
and consistency are found to change at different times of life. 
In the foetus, not only the capsule, but the lens also, is of a red¬ 
dish color; but, immediately after birth, they become perfectly 
transparent. In a person considerably advanced in years, the 
lens is observed to acquire a yellow tinge, which appears first 
in the centre, and afterwards extends gradually to the circum¬ 
ference; and in extreme old age, this yellow tinge becomes so 
deep as to resemble amber. The lens becomes opaque soon 
after death, and acquires an additional opacity when put into 
spirits of wine. It is composed of concentric lamellae, laid over 
each other like the coats of an onion. These lamellae are con¬ 
nected by a fine cellular substance, and are more closely com¬ 
pacted the nearer they are to the centre. The substance of the 
lens somewhat resembles half-melted gum, is very soft and ten- 


DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 


89 


der on the outside, but becomes gradually firmer and tougher 
towards the centre, where it forms a nucleus. 

The lens is surrounded by. a, very pellucid, proper capsule,*, 
called tunica aranea, or crystalline, which' is much thicker and 
more elastic than the capsule of the vitreous humor, but adheres 
so slightly, and is so easily lacerated,, that after a small punc¬ 
ture has been made in it, the lens starts out, upon applying 
gentle pressure to the capsule. The posterior part of the cap¬ 
sule is much thinner, softer, and weaker than the anterior; but 
is quite a distinct membrane from the tunica vitrea; yet so 
firmly connected to it by cellulaT substance, that it is difficult 
to separate them without lacerating both the vitreous coat and 
its humor. Some describe an aqueous humor as seated between 
the lens and its capsule, the aqua Morgani. 

The vitreous humor is situated in the back part of the cavity 
of the eye, from the insertion of the optic nerve to the surface 
of the crystalline lens. It is round at the back part and sides, 
where it is covered by the retina, but is concave before,, where 
it forms a bed for the crystalline lens. It is by much the larg¬ 
est. of the three humors, occupying upwards of nine-tenths of 
the whole eye, and has a gelatinous appearance, or is somewhat 
like the glaire of an egg. In an adult, it is always very trans¬ 
parent, and in an old person it does not, like the lens, degener¬ 
ate into a yellow, or any other color. In the foetus, like the 
aqueous humor, it is of a reddish color. The liquor with which 
the vitreous humor is filled is similar to the aqueous-—very fluid, 
transpires readily through the capsule, though that coat be en¬ 
tire,, and, like the aqueous humor, is somewhat thicker, heavier, 
and more viscid than water. When this humor is evacuated by 
puncture in the living body, it is seldom, though sometimes re¬ 
newed. Upon the surface of this humor there is a coat, termed 
tunica vitrea, or hyaloidea, from its resemblance to glass, as 
transparent as the humor itself. 

The tunica vitrea is remarkably smooth on its outer surface, 
but within, it sends processes into the body of the humor. The 
structure of the inner part of the coat consists of a set of deli¬ 
cate cells, which contain the liquor within them, as may be seen 
by the assistance of acids, or by boiling water. The cells of 
the tunic communicate freely with each other, as appears from 
the liquor oozing out by the smallest puncture made in the gen¬ 
eral capsule. 

Under the ciliary ligament, the capsule of the vitreous humor 


90 


DISSECTION OF THE EYE. 


sends off an external lamina, which accompanies the retina, and 
is inserted with it into the fore part of the capsule of the lens, 
a little before its anterior edge. It is termed zonula ciliaris, 
from its striated appearance and circular form, and assists in 
fixing the lens to the vitreous humor. After sending off the 
ciliary zone, the coat 0 / the vitreous humor goes behind the 
capsule of the lens, with which it is intimately connected. 

Between the ciliary zone and the part where the capsule of 
the vitreous humor adheres to that of the lens, a passage is 
formed named canalis Petitianus, after. Petit, who discovered it. 
The membranes forming this passage are pervaded by transverse 
fibres in such a manner, that when air is introduced, it goes 
freely round the edge of the lens; but the passage has a cellu¬ 
lar appearance, being contracted and dilated alternately. The 
canal of Petit is. nearly of the same breadth with the ciliary 
ligament; it is always empty, and has no communication with 
the capsules of the vitreous or crystalline humors. The vitre¬ 
ous humor serves to give shape to the eye, to keep the coats 
properly expanded, to preserve the due distance of the lens, and 
direct the rays of light to the retina. 

The eye receives and collects the rays of light, in such a man¬ 
ner as to form upon the retina the image or picture of the ob¬ 
ject which the eye looks at ; and the point where these different 
rays meet is called the focus. The object is painted upon the 
retina in an inverted manner, the rays from above -falling upon 
its under, and those from below upon its upper, part; it is sup¬ 
posed to be by habit, or rather by instinct, that we judge of the 
real situation of the object. That the rays of light may termi¬ 
nate distinctly on the retina, it is necessary that both the cornea 
and crystalline lens should have a certain degree of convexity. 
If either the one or the other be too prominent, the focus will 
be formed before it reaches the retina, as is the case in short¬ 
sighted people, who require concave glasses to enable them to 
see objects distinctly, at the proper and ordinary distance. If, 
on the contrary, the cornea or lens be too flat, or the refractive 
power of the humors be in any way diminished, the focus will 
then be imperfectly formed, till the object is viewed at a greater 
distance than ordinary, as is the case with persons advanced in 
life, to whom the assistance of convex glasses becomes necessary. 
The eye is enabled to judge and accommodate itself to objects at 
different distances, by the action of its muscles increasing or 
diminishing the length of its axis, and by the motions of the iris 
allowing a greater or smaller quantity of light to be thrown into 
the. eye. 


TESTIMONIALS. 


Dr. Phillips thinks the following testimonials will be an in¬ 
troduction to those to whom he is at present unknown:— 

“As far as my acquaintance with Mr. John Phillips extends, 
I regard him as a worthy gentleman, and very competent in his 
profession. 

A. LINCOLN, 

President of the United States.'' 

44 As far as my acquaintance with Mr. John Phillips extends, 
I regard him as a worthy gentleman, and very competent in his 
profession. 

JOHN MOORE, 

Nov. 20 y 185 J. Treasurer of Illinois." 

44 Dr. Phillips: Dear Sir :—When I come to Springfield, 
as you are aware, I could neither read nor write, and had not 
for months. I owe it to your kindness and skill that my eyes 
were almost entirely relieved in a single week, and are now 
quite well. This I the more gratefully acknowledge as it was 
all effected without any pain and with little trouble to myself. 

J. B. TURNER, Jacksonville , 111." 

44 Sir: —I beg to state, with gratitude, that having been af¬ 
flicted with Oposity in one of my eyes, which has, for two 
years, rendered me nearly blind, but by attending to your med¬ 
icines, and by the use of your vapors, I am so far restored as 
to be able to see to pick up a small pin at considerable distance 
from me, and to read with perfect ease, without which assistance 
from you, I am sure I should have become entirely blind. 
Accept my grateful thanks. 

Your obedient servant, 

JEFFERSON MOORE.” 

Bloomington, Dec. 9th , 185£. 

44 1 have formed an acquaintance with Mr. John Phillips, as an 
Optician and Oculist, he is well informed in the structure and 
functions of the eye, and its diseases and defects, and under¬ 
stands the adaption of glasses to the eye with much skill. I 
am using glasses selected by him, and find them very pleasant, 
and do not strain or fatigue the eye, a great desideratum. J 
cheerfully recommend him to those requiring glasses. 

JOHN TODD, M.D.” 

Springfield , Dec . 19 , 1851. 



2 


“I have taken some pains to ascertain Doctor Phillips’ claims 
for patronage as an optician, and can unhesitatingly recommend 
him to those needing spectacles, or who are about to need them. 
I have also witnessed his treatment of chronic inflammation of 
the eyes, and can assure the public that while his treatment is 
safe, it is more than usually successful. 

DAVID PRINCE, M.D., Jacksonville, III” 
“■We can take pleasure in recommending Doctor John Phil¬ 
lips as a superior Optician and safe practical Oculist. 

LORD & FOWLER, Surgeons.” 
Springfield, Jan. I 4 , 1856. 

“Sir: — I beg to acknowledge the great benefit derived by 
your application to my eyes, and thank you for the attention 
shown to me, and also highly recommend you to the public. 

Yours respectfully, 

G. METSKER, Petersburg , HIP 
“I have taken some pains to acquaint myself with Mr. John 
Phillips, and find a thoroughly scientific Optician, as well as a 
skilful Oculist. It affords me much pleasure to recommend 
him with full confidence to the patronage of those needing his 
services. SANFORD BELL, M.D.” 

Springfield , Pec. 18, 1854- 

Dr. Phillips has also many testimonials from gentlemen of 
high standing in the Medical Profession in both this country 
and Europe, among whom are: 

Ex-Governor Yates, Springfield, Ill. 

Judge Logan, u u 

Lawyer Edwards, “ 

Governor Mattison, Springfield, Ill. 

Hon. N. B. Judd, United States Senator, Washingon, D.C. 
William Gwynn, Tiffin, Ohio. 

Judge Davis, Bloomington, Ill. 

“ Bradwell, of the County Court, Chicago, Ill. 

“ McAllister, of the Recorder’s Court, Chicago, Ill. 
Daniel O’Hara, Esq., Clerk Recorder’s Court, Chicago, Ill. 
General Soloman, Chicago, Ill. 

Dr. J B. Walker, McVicker’s Theatre Building, Chicago. 

Dr. H. Ralls Smith, Chicago, Ill. 

Dr. J. S. Underwood, “ “ 

Wm. Lill, Esq., Brewer, “ 

Peter Macfarlane, Esq., “ 

M. 0. Walker, Esq., “ 

George W. Gage, Esq., “ 

Judge Henry Fuller, “ 

4 


U 

(6 


INDEX. 



Advice on spectacles, 32; blindness, 
34; age, 34; choice of spectacles, 
34; trying many spectacles, 35 ; in¬ 
creasing years, 36. 

Advice on spectacle frames, 37; myo¬ 
pic spectacles, 37; material, 38; 
front of the frame, 33; divided 
glass, 39; octagon shape, 40, 

Advice on double glasses, 41; four- 
glass spectacles, 41. 

Advice on colored glasses, 48 ; com¬ 
plimentary, 48; description of neu¬ 
tral tints, 49. 

Advice op. spectacle lenses, 46; rock 
crystal, 46. 

Advice on pantoscopic spectacles, 44. 

Asthenopia,. 64; causes, 65; success 
of treatment, 64. 

Cataract glasses, 54; one eye operated 
upon, 55; when the glasses should 
be worn, 56. 

Crochet spectacles, 43. 

Cylindrical lenses, 51; astigmatic 
lenses, 51; plano-crystaline or 
sphero-cylindrical lens, 51. 

Disease, contagious, 75; treatment, 76; 
symptoms, 76. 

Dissection of the eye, 79; cartilages, 
79; the superior tarsus, 80; the in¬ 
ferior tarsus, 80; the external can- 
thus, 80; the internal canthus, 80; 
the situation of the Meibomian 
glands, 80; the lachrymal gland, 
80; the lachmyral artery ramifying 
upon it, 80; the lachmyral ducts, 


80 ; the two puncta lachrymalis, 80, 
81; the caruncula lachrymalis, 80, 
81; the lachrymal ducts,. 80; the 
lachrymal sac, 80, 81; the ductus ad 
naSum, 80; the tarsi, 80; the can- 
thi, 80; the tunica conjunctiva, 82; 
the tunica albuginea, 82, 83; the 
tunica sclervtica, 82, 83; the cornea, 
82, 83; the tunica choroides, .82, 84; 
the ciliary nerves passing between 
the choroid and sclerotic coat, 82, 
64 ; the iris which is connected to 
the choroid membrane of the ciliary 
ligament or circles, 82, 85; the pu¬ 
pil, 82; the anterior chamber con¬ 
taining the aqueous humor, 82; the 
posterior chamber containing the 
aqueous humor, 82; the optic nerve 
seen perforating the sclerotic and 
choroid membrane to be expanded 
into the retina, and the arteria cen¬ 
tralis retinea piercing the optic 
nerve, 82; the retinea with its ar¬ 
tery ramifying upon its surface, 82; 
the foramen of Soemmering, 82; 
the aliary ligiament seen connect¬ 
ing the iris to the charoid mem¬ 
brane, 82; the ciliary process, 82; 
the crystaline lens surrounded by 
its capsule, 82; the vitrous humor, 
82, 69; the zonula ciliaris, 82; can- 
alis Petitianus, 82, 00; the optic 
nerve and retina, 86; the tunica 
vitrea, 89; the lachrymal gland, 80. 

Dust spectacles, 41; double concave, 
45; double convex, 45. 





INDEX. 


Egyptian Ophthalmia, 77; symptoms, 
77. 

Eye protectors, 42; crochet or riding 
spectacles, 43. 

Far-sightedness, 19; symptoms, 20; 
appearance presented by the eyes 
of far-sighted people, 22; peculiari¬ 
ties, 22; subject, 22; prevention 
and treatment, 23; reading glasses, 
24; color of crystaline humor, 24; 
treatment, 25; remarks, 27; read¬ 
ing by fire-light, 28; to preserve 
weak eyes, 29; goggles, 29; transi¬ 
tion from darkness to light, 30. 

Glasses, periscopic, 53; reading, 57; 
for amaurosis, 61; treatment, 61. 

Goggles, 41; dust spectacles, 41. 

Granulated inflammation, 73 ; granu¬ 
lated eye-lids, 73; commencement, 
74. 

Imperfect sight, 7; short sight, 8; 
subjects, 9; appearance presented 
by the eyes, 10; myopic persons, 
11; treatment, 13; progress, 14; 
circumstances, 16; in early life, 17; 
near-sighted persons, 18. 


Lenses, manufacture of, 46; French 
plate glasses, 46; making spectacles, 
46; invention of spectacles, 47; cy¬ 
lindrical lenses, 51; astigmatic lens, 
51'; variety of lens, 45; magnify¬ 
ing lehses, 61. 

Manufacture of lens, 46. 

Muscse volitantes, 67; when most ob¬ 
served, 68; nature of floating mus¬ 
cse, 69;. the nature of particles, the 
presence of which occasions floating 
muscse, 66; increase of muscse, 70; 
treatment of muscse, 71. 

Periscopic glasses, 53; varieties, 53. 

Purulent inflammation of new-born 
infants, 75; commencement, 75. 

Reading glasses, 47; single glasses, 
58; magnifying glasses, 59; micro¬ 
scopical glasses, 59; method of pre¬ 
paring objects for the microscope, 
60; single magnifying lenses, 61. 

Strabismus, 61. 

Simple inflammation, 78. 

Variety of lenses, 45; double-convex, 
45; plano-convex, 45; meniscus, 45; 
double-concave, 45; plano-concave, 
45; concavo-convex, 45. 



TEST TYPES. 


BY DR. JOHN PHILLIPS. 


No. 1—Diamond. 

Though, iu the choice of spectacles, every one must finally determine for himself which are the glasses through 
which he obtains the most distinct vision; yet, some confidence should be placed in the judgment of the artist of 
whom they are purchased, and some attention paid to his directions. By trying many spectacles, the eye is fa¬ 
tigued, as the pupil varies in size with every different glass; and the eye endeavors to accommodate itself to every 
change that is produced. Hence, the purchaser often fixes upon a pair of spectacles, not the best adapted to his 
Bight, but those which seem to relieve him most, while his eyes are in a forced and unnatural state; and, conse¬ 
quently, when he gets home, and they are returned to their natural state, he finds what he had chosen fatiguing and 
Injurious.to his sight. 

* No. 2—Pearl. 

Increasing years have a natural tendency to bring on the defect, and earlier among those 
who have made the least use of their eyes in their youth; but, whatever care be taken of the 
eight, the decays of nature cannot be prevented: the humors of the eye will gradually waste 
and decay; the refractive coats will become flatter; and the other parts of the eye more rigid, 
and less pliable: thus, the latitude of distinct vision will become contracted: it is also highly 
probable that the retina and optic nerve lose a portion of their sensibility. 

Though it is in the general course of nature that this defect should augment with age, yet 
there are not wanting instances of those who have recovered their sight at an advanced 
period; and have been able to lay aside their glasses, and read and write with pleasure, with¬ 
out any artificial assistance. 

Among many causes which may produce this effect, the most probable Is, that it generally 
rises from a decay of the fat in the bottom of the orbit; the pressure in this part ceasing, the 
eye expands into somewhat of an oval form; and the retina is removed to a due focal dis¬ 
tance from the crystalline. 

No. 3—Nonpareil. 

There is one point of considerable importance which is often disregarded, viz.: the fit¬ 
ting of the spectacle frame, so that the centre of each glass shall be exactly opposite to 
the pupil of the corresponding eye. A monent’s reflection will show how important this 
is. There are scarcely two persons of precisely the same width between the eyes, and 
yet, in the majority of cases, this fact is entirely lost sight of in the selection of specta¬ 
cles. A person finds, that when at an optician’s, he looks through a lens of a certain 
power, it suits him exactly; he sees delightfully with it, and forthwith orders spectacles 
of that power. 

He tries them on as soon as he receives them, anticipating with eagerness the comfort 
they will afford him; instead of which, he finds that he can hardly see at all, or, if he 
does, his eyes soon feel fatigued. The glasses are right; the error is in the frame. 

No. 4—Minion. 

We are now able to decide upon a very important question, and say how 
far spectacles may be said to be 'preservers of the sight. It is plain they can 
only be recommended, as such, to those whose eyes are beginning to fail; and 
it would be as absurd to advise the use of spectacles to those who feel none of 
the foregoing inconveniences, as it would be for a man in health to use crutches, 
to save his legs. But those who feel those inconveniences, should immediately 
take to spectacles; which by enabling them to see objects nearer, and by facili¬ 
tating the union of the.rays of light on the retina, will support and preserve 
the sight. 




94 


TEST TYPES. 


No. 5—Long Primer. 

Many are the advantages that are derived from our having two 
eyes—some that are known, others that are unknown; for the corres¬ 
pondence of the double parts of the human frame, and their relation 
to the two great faculties of the human mind, has not been sufficiently 
attended to by anatomists. By having two eyes, the sight is rendered 
stronger, and the vision more perfect; for, as each eye looks upon the 
same object, a more forcible impression is made, and a livelier concep¬ 
tion formed by the mind. 

No. 6 —Small Pica. 

Some refrain from the use of glasses who really require their 
aid, from the belief that if they once begin to use them, they 
will never be able to leave them off. In the great majority of 
cases this is perfectly true; but, even then, it is better to submit 
with a good grace to an affliction which can seldom be averted, 
and to have recourse to those simple means which at once set 
the eye at ease, and enable its possessor to enjoy many hours of 
comfort and rational employment, which would otherwise be 
lost. 

No. 7 —Pica. 

The color and consistence of this humor alter with 
age; it becomes thicker, cloudy, and less transparent, 
as we advance in years; which is one reason, among 
others, why many elderly people do not reap all that 
benefit from spectacles which they might naturally 
expect. j r p , 

No. 8—English. 

Consequently, as artificial light pos¬ 
sesses more red and yellow rays than 
daylight, it is more fatiguing and inju¬ 
rious to the eyes. 


No. 11. 

By a medium, in the language 
of opticians, is meant any trans¬ 
parent substance, solid or fluid, 
through which light passes. 

|:^-||| Nq. 12. fc M M i JHk 

It is a well-known fact, 
that when flame is not 
raised to a very high tem¬ 
perature, it gives out red 
light. 

13. 

Whatever is seen or 
beheld by the eye, is by 
opticians called an ob¬ 
ject. 

No. 14. 

One medium is 
said to be more 

No. 15. 

Dense than 
another when 


No. 16 










WESTERN NEWS COMPANY.; WM. B. KEEN & COOKE, AND 
DR. PHILLIPS, 168 CLARK STREET, CHICAGO. 

1PHT1UMIC SURGERY tHD TREATMENT: 

WITH 

ADVICE ON THE USE AND ABUSE OF 

SPECTACLES. 

By JOHN PHILLIPS, Optician and Oculist. 

Cloth $5.00. Just Published. Sheep $5.50: 


INDEX. 


Abscess, 180; of the lachrymal sac, 180; 
opening of the abscess, 136; fistula, 182. 

Abscission of the eyeball, 167; operation, 
167; shrinking of the eyeball after inser¬ 
tion of a seton, 169. 

Abrasion of the cornea, 140; symptoms, 140; 
prognosis, 140; treatment, 141. 

Accommodative movements, 211; develop¬ 
ment, 212. 

Acute inflammation within the orbit, 431; 
diseased bone, 433; treatment, 434; syph¬ 
ilitic nodes, 436; periosteum, 437; gen¬ 
eral treatment,. 437. 

Acne ciliaris, 460. 

Adaption of artificial eyes, 66; mode of in¬ 
serting, 66. 

Advice on double glasses, 37; spectacle len¬ 
ses, 40; spectacle-frames, 33; ordinary 
myopic spectales, 34; material best adapt¬ 
ed for spectacles, 35; front of frames, 35; 
small spectacles, 35; semicircular specta¬ 
cles, 36; divided glasses, 36; octagon¬ 
shaped spectacles, 37; qval spectacles, 36; 
colored glasses, 42; tinted glasses, 44; blue 
and green glasses, 43;; too dark shades, 
44; reference to dark shades, 44. 

Albuminuria during retinitis, 400; treat¬ 
ment, 401; local treatment, 401. 

Amaurosis, glasses for; 52. 

Amblyopia, amaurosis or, 392; prognosis, 
393; treatment, 393; amaurosis cured by 
glasses, 52; amblyopia or amaurosis of 


other parts of the retina, 382; amaurosis- 
progressing periphery margin of the ret¬ 
ina towards the yellow spot. 382; ambly¬ 
opia or amaurosis from over-use of the 
eyes, 383; headache, 383; vomiting, 384; 
convulsions, 384; treatment, 385; causes, 
385; amaurosis from intra-cranial or cere¬ 
bral tumors, 386; amaurosis from morbid- 
changes, 386; following apoplexy, 386; 
stimulation of amblyopia or amaurosis of 
both eyes, 387; simulation of amblyopia 
or amaurosis of one eye; amaurosis with 
disease of the spinal cord, 387; reflex am¬ 
aurosis, 387; amaurosis from constitu¬ 
tional causes, 388; appearing during irreg¬ 
ularities, 388; from anaemia, 389; from 
local causes, 389; produced by tobacco, 
lead, quinine, alcohol, 390; amblyopia or 
amaurosis with apparently healthy optic 
disk, 392. 

Anaesthesia, 138 ; morbid- changes, 139; 
treatment, 139. 

Anomalies of vision,. 380; region of the yel¬ 
low spot, 380; ophthalmoscopic examina¬ 
tion, 380; mode of ascertainingthe extent, 
381; enlargement of blind spot, 381; ac¬ 
commodation, 317; paralysis of ciliary 
muscle, 317; symptoms, 318;: treatment, 
318; spasm of the ciliary muscle, 318; 
painful vision, 320; paresis oh accommo¬ 
dation, 319; treatment, 319, • 

Aqueous humor and aqueous chambers, Vit- 







INDEX. 


3 

reous substance and vitreous chamber, 
29b. 

-Aqueous.humor, 296; chemical properties, 
'296; changes .in color, 297; blood in the 
>aqueous chamber, 297; cysticercus, 297; 
boundaries of the anterior chamber, 298; 
deep, 298; shallow, 298. 

Asthenopia, 55; general effects, 55; causes, 
56; success in treatment, 57; certain 
causes, 58. 

Astigmatic eyelids, 46; cylindrical glasses, 
47. 

Astringent remedies, 80. 

Atropia of the choiroid, 344, 

Atropia and Calabar, 346; Calabar bean, 
349; subcutaneous injection, 348. 

Atropia of the retina, 399; causes, 399; dif¬ 
ferent forms, 400. 

Blennorrhcea, 183. 

Blepharophymosis, 482. 

Blepharitis, 461. 

Blepharospasmus, 452. 

Calabar and atropia, 346. 

Cancer of the eyelids, 448. 

^Cancer in the choroid, 415; displacement of 
the retina, 416 ; cancer in the retina and 
optic nerve, 416; vision, 417; diagnosis 
and course, 417; treatment, 418; advis¬ 
ability and operation, 419; strumous de¬ 
posit, 419; diagnosis, 419; treatment, 421; 
bony, fibrous, sarcomatus,, and fatty tu¬ 
mors, 421; cysts, 421; treatment, 422; 
^pulsating tumors of . the orbit, 422; treat- 
<ment, 423; .epithelial, 177; melanotic, 
1W. 

Cataract, 242; general remarks, 242; loss of 
transparency, .244; examination, 245; 

■ opacities in the vitreous chamber, 245; 
.tremulous iris, 246;-shape of the eyeball, 
246; causes, 246; consistence, 247; fluid, 
'248; soft, 248; examination with the oph¬ 
thalmoscope, 249; gelatinous, 249; hard 
<or senile, 249; lamellar, 250; striated or 
;streaked, 250; black, 251; green, 251; 
chalky,:251; diabetic ^persons in, 252; pri¬ 
mary, 252; secondary, 252; vision, 252; 
‘ vision after removal, .253; general remarks 
on treatment, 253; age of the-cataract, 254; 
age of the patient, 254; reasons for extrac¬ 
tion, 254; removal of from one eye only 
the fellow-eye possessing useful vision, 
255; removal of from an eye which has 


no perception of light, 255; both eyes 
have frequently been operated upon, 255; 
operation, 255; experience, 258 ; may not 
escape, 260; vitreous substance may es¬ 
cape, 260 ; accidents during the operation, 
259; treatment of the operation, suppos¬ 
ing no accident to have occurred, 262; af¬ 
ter-treatment, 264; removal by *tbe scoop, 
266; operation, 266; iridectomy, 267; ac¬ 
cidents during the operation, 268 ; depres¬ 
sion, 270; reclination, 270; couching, 270; 
operation, 270; accidents, 2711 removal 
by absorption, 271; solution, 271; discis¬ 
sion, 271; keratonixis, 271; operation, 
272; removal of by linear extraction, 275; 
accidents during the operation, 276; oper¬ 
ation, 276; accidents during the operation 
and after treatment, 274. 

Cataract in children, 287; cause and general 
remarks, 287; complications, 288; symp¬ 
toms and causes, 288; numerous varie¬ 
ties, 288; tieatment, 289. 

Cataract-glasses, 49 
Catarrhal ophthalmia, 71. 

Capsular obstructions, 282; opacities, 282; 
different kinds, 282; minute examination, 
283; treatment, 284; operation, 284; 
opaque capsular obstructions, 286. 

Catgut probes, 191. 

Congenital anomalies, 443; eyebrows, 443; 
eyelashes, 443; abscess of the eyelids, 443; 
coloboma of the upper or lower lid, 443. 
Choroid and iris, 305; anatomical and gen¬ 
eral remarks, 305; examination, 308; col¬ 
oboma of the choroid, 309; vision, 310; 
displacement of the pupil, 311; injuries 
of the iris and the choroid, 312; foreign 
bodies in the iris, 312; rupture of the 
sclerotic, 313; hyperaemia of the choroid, 
341; cyclitics, or inflammation of the cili¬ 
ary region of the choroid, 339; symptoms, 
339; treatment, 340; atrophy of the cho¬ 
roid, 344; displacement of the choroid, 
345. 

Choroiditis at or near the optic disk, 348; 
treatment, 344 ; inflammation of the cho¬ 
roid—choroiditis, 341:; ophthalmoscopic 
observations, 342. 

Ciliary muscle, paralysis of .the, 317; par¬ 
esis, 319; -spasm, 320; treatment, 320. 
Coloboma of the choroid, 309. 

Color of the crystalline lens, 21. 






INDEX. 


3 


Congenital anomalies, 443. 

Congenital cataract, 287. 

Conical cornea, 65; commencement, 65; 
treatment, 66. 

Conjunctiva, 173; anatomical and general 
remarks, 173; examination, 174 ; develop¬ 
ment, 175; congenital anomalies, 175; 
tumors, 175; nsevus, 176; cysticercus, 
176; pephigus, 177; epithes cancer, 
177; melanotic cancer, 177; dislocation 
of the lens beneath the conjunctiva, 293. 

Corneitis, keratitis, inflammation of the cor- 
•nea, 122; syphilitic corneitis, 122; physi¬ 
ognomy of patients, 123; vision, 123; 

■ causes, 124; treatment, 125; strumous 
corneitis, 126; scrofulous ophthalmia, 
126; vascular corneitis, 126; treatment, 
128; pustular corneitis, 129; phlyctenu¬ 
lar, 129; causes, 130; treatment, 131; lo¬ 
cal treatment, 131; corneitis, with sup¬ 
puration, 133; abscess of the cornea, 133; 
causes, 134; treatment, 135; opening of 
the abscegs, 136. 

Cylindrical lenses, 46; sphero-cylindrical 
lens, 46; piano-cylindrical lens, 46. 

Cysticercus in the deeper parte of the eye, 
302; iridectom}’’, followed by au extrac¬ 
tion, 303. 

Destruction of the lachrymal sac, 199. 

Dislocation of the crystalline lens, 290; ec- 
tropia of the lens, 290. 

Dislocation of the lens into the anterior 
chamber, 290; into the vitreous, 291; lat¬ 
eral or oblique dislocation of the crystal¬ 
line lens, 292; vision, 293; dislocation of 
the lens beneath the conjunctiva, 293; 
causes, 293; complication, 294; treatment, 
294; operation for some cases, 295; treat¬ 
ment, 295. 

Displacement of the choroid, 345; viewed 
■with the ophthalmoscope, 345. 

distention of the lachrymal sac, 183. 

Dropping of the upper lid, 456. 

Dropsy of the eyeball, 187. 

Dyctitis, 394. 

Ectropion, 474; causes, 474 ; treatment, 475; 
; *f exposed conjunctiva thickened and hy¬ 
pertrophied, 475; tarsal edge is elongated, 
476; dependent on a cicatrix, 477; of 
lower (Dieffenbeach’s operation), 478; for¬ 
mation by operation of an entire eyelid, 
or part of an eyelid, 479. 


Egyptian ophthalmia, 75. 

Entropion, 463; inversion of the eyelashes, 
463; treatment, 464; operation, 464; 
Snellen’s forceps, 466; entropion, treated 
by removal of a fold of skin, 467; Hild¬ 
reth’s operation, 470; Prince’s operation, 
472. , 

Epileptic fits, 384. 

Epiphora, watering of the eye, 185; foreign 
bodies, 186; treatment, 186. 

Excision, enucleation, of the eyeball, 169; 
operation, 171; after the operation, 172. 

Examination of the conjunctiva, 174. 

Examination with the ophthalmoscope, 494. 

Exophthalmic goitre, 425; treatment, 426. 

Extracts from the London Lancet , 67. 

Eye bandages, 484. 

Eyebrows, 439, 

Eyelashes, 439. 

Eyelids, 439; anatomical and general re¬ 
marks, 439; Meibomian glands, 440; outer 
and inner canthus, 442; margin, 442; de¬ 
velopment, 443. 

Eye protectors, 38. 

Far-sightedness, 16; advance in life, 16; 
symptoms of presbyopia, 17; power of 
accommodation, 17; appearances presen¬ 
ted by the eye, 18'; peculiarities of vision, 
18; subjects of far-sightedness, 10; pre¬ 
vention and treatment, 19; how convex 
glasses are made, 19; age in years, 20; 
focal length in inches, 20; alteration an 
the eyes, 20* the color of the crystalline 
lens, 21; the period of life when yrresby- 
opia displays itself, 21; description of con¬ 
vex glasses, 22 ; overwork of the eyes, 23; 
day-work preferable to night, 23; persons 
with feeble sight, 24; reading by fireside, 
24; inhabitants of the Artie, 25; transi¬ 
tion from gloom to strong light, 26; choice 
of glasses, 26; changing glasses, 27; dwel¬ 
ling on large objects, 28; discovery of op¬ 
tical instruments, 29; of spectacles, 29; 
i when spectacles should be worn, 30; Choice 
of spectacles, 31; trying many spectacles, 
31; important facts, 32; consideration of 
the fact,'32; increasing years,'33. 

Glands Meibomian, 440. 

Glaucoma, 350; simple,’ 351; chronic, 351; 
acute, 351; attacks, 352; symptoms, 353; 
increase of tension, 354 ; conjunctiva, 355; 
sclerotic, 355; ciliary vessels, 355; cornea. 





4 


INDEX. 


355; aqueous humor, 355; iris, 353; pupil, 
356; choroid, 356; microscopical examina¬ 
tion, 357; lens, 358; vitreous, 358; retina, 
359; general remarks., 361; treatment, 363. 

Granulated lids, 114. 

Granulations, 113. 

Green stone, 118. 

Hemorrhage, effusion of blood into the vit¬ 
reous chamber, 304; treatment, 305; spon¬ 
taneous into the orbit, 424. 

Hyperasmia of the choroid, choroiditis, 341.; 
of the retina, 393; examination of healthy 
eyes, 393. 

Imperfect sight, ,3; imperfection of sight, 3. 

Inflammation of the eyelids, 454. 

Injuries of the retina and optic disk, 391; 
changes of the retina, as seen with the 
ophthalmoscope, 392. 

Injuries, 190, 438. 

Injuries of the iris and the choroid, 313. 

Insertion of a seton into the temple, 485. 

Insertion of a style, 200; obliteration of the 
lachrymal sac, 200. 

Iridectomy, 373; instruments, 373; opera¬ 
tion, 373; accidents, 375; bleeding into 
the anterior chamber, 376; pressure upon 
the closed lids, 376; causes, 378; vision 
after the operation, 379. 

Iris and the choroid, 305; the iris, 305; an¬ 
atomical and general remarks, 305; con¬ 
tractile fibres, 305; elastic, 306; bloodves¬ 
sels, 306; insertion of the iris, 307; dis¬ 
placement of the pupil, 311; anomalies of 
colors, 311. 

Iritis, inflammation of the iris, 320; general 
remarks, 320; simple iritis, 321; chemical 
properties, 322; change in color of the 
iris, 323; complications, 324; changes be¬ 
hind the iris, 325; treatment, 325; im¬ 
paired vision, 326; syphilitic iritis, 328; 
changes, 328; strictures behind the iris, 
328; treatment, 329; gonorrhoeal iritis, 
330; syphilitic changes in the. structures 
behind the iris, 330; inflammation of the 
vitreous substance, 331; optic disk, and of 
the adjoining choroid and retina, 332; vis¬ 
ion, 333; serous iritis, 334;. treatment, 
384; sympathetic iritis, and sympathetic 
changes, 335;. irritation, 335; iritis, 336. 
treatment, 337; sympathetic ophthalmitis, 
337; amblyopia or amaurosis, 338; cycli- 
tis, op inflammation of the ciliary region 


of the choroid, 339; plastic cyclitis, 339; 
treatment 340. 

Keratitis, 122. 

Lachrymal caruncle, 180; sac, 180; inflam¬ 
mation of, 180; abscess, 180; treatment, 
181, 182; fistula of the caruncle, 182— 
188; treatment, 189; distension of the sac, 
183; enlargement, 183; tumor, 183; dis¬ 
charge, 183; treatment, 184; passing the 
probe, 190; experience, 190; injection of 
fluid, 192. 

Lachrymal gland, 193; operation for fistula, 
193; the operation for slitting open the 
lachrymal punctum and canaliculi, 195; 
knife used, 196; removal of the gland, 
192; canaliculi, 195; cyst in the gland, 
179;. obstruction of the ducts of the gland, 
179; fistula of the gland, 179. 

Lachrymal organs, 177; anatomical and 
general remarks, 177. 

Lachrymal passages, probing the, 196; 
stricture or closure of the, 187; instru¬ 
ments used in the treatment of the, 191; 
injection of fluid into the, 194.' 

Lachrymal sac, destruction of the, 199. 

Leeches, 486. 

Lens, variety, 39—48; cylindrical, 45; man-. 
ufacture of, 41. 

Leucoma, filling ulceration, 147. 

Linear extraction, modified, 278; instru¬ 
ments required, 27,8; after-treatment, 282. 

Medicines, terms of classification of, 501. 

Meibomian gland, 440. 

Muscse volitantes, 58; different appearances, 
59; nature of floating muscae, 60; nature 
of particles, the presence of which occa¬ 
sions floating mUscae, 61; distinctly seen, 
61; how they increase in number, 62; 
treatntent, 63; when it appears, 64. 

Muscle, external muscles of the eyeball, 205; 
anatomical and general remarks, 205; in¬ 
ternal rectus, 205; inferior rectus, 205; 
superior rectus, 206; inferior oblique, 206; 
superior oblique, 206; external rectus, 
207; accommodative movements, 211; in¬ 
sufficiency of the internal rectus, 211; de¬ 
velopment, 212; congenital anomalies, 
213. 

Myopia, 6; treatment, 8. 

Myopic persons, 362. 

Naevus “erectile tumor,” 424; treatment, 
424. 





INDEX. 


5 


Near-sighted children, 15. 

Nebulas, 146, 

Nystagmus, 213; causes, 213; treatment, 
214. 

Ointments, 500. 

Opacities of the cornea, 146; causes, 146; 
leucoma, following ulceration, 147 ; chalky 
or bony substances, 147; disturbance of 
vison; 148: large fields of vision, 148; 
treatment by medical agents, 149; symp¬ 
toms of irritation, 150; remedies in gener¬ 
al use, 151; treatment by optical means, 
152; vision for distant objects, 152; treat¬ 
ment by surgical means, 153; opacities of 
the cornea from lead, 154; treatment, 154. 

Operation for artificial pupil, and the opera¬ 
tion for iridectomy, 365; artificial pupil, 
366; operation, 367; method of making, 
367; incision through the cornea, 369. 

Ophthalmia, 68; gonorrhceal ophthalmia, 
107; treatment, 108; ophthalmia from 
eruptive fevers, 109; treatment, 109; 
chronic ophthalmia, 109; blisters 110; 
ophthalmia variolosa, 111; commence¬ 
ment, 112; treatment, 112; granulated 
ophthalmia, 113; granular lid, 114; part 
which suffers first, 114; cloudiness of vis¬ 
ion, 115; prognosis, 116; towels, lint, and 
sponge, 116; treatment, 116; discharge 
during acute attacks, 117; astringent, 117; 
green stone, 118; crayon of sulphate of 
zinc, 118; escharotics, 119; mode of ap¬ 
plying sulphate of copper, 119; crayon of 
blue stone, 120; iodide of lime and pro¬ 
toxide of iron, 121; liquor, potassse, 121; 
excision, 122; rheumatic ophthalmia, 102; 
rheumatic subjects, 103; dimness of vision, 
104; constitutional symptoms, 104; prog¬ 
nosis and treatment, 105; opiate frictions, 
106; purgatives, 106; catarrhal ophthal¬ 
mia, 71; treatment 72; purulent ophthal¬ 
mia, 75; severe cases 76; Mr. Wardop’s 
statement, 78; treatment, 80; local appli¬ 
cations, 81; opiate fomentations and fric¬ 
tion, 82; solid caustics, 82; purulent oph¬ 
thalmia in infants, 83; life-long blindness, 
83; conjunctiva of the lids, 84 if attacks 
be severe, 84; treatment, 85'; corrosive 
sublimate collyrium, 86; preventing the 
eyelids from adhering together, 86; first 
symptoms, 87; a remedy of considerable 
service, 88; disorganization of the cornea*, 


88; scrofulous ophthalmia, 89; treatment, 
90; purgatives, 91; tonics, 92 internal 
remedies, 93; antacids, 93; mercury, 94; 
prognosis, 94; treatment, as a general 
rule, 94; diaphoretics, 95; local treat¬ 
ment, 96; fomentation, 96; counter-irrita¬ 
tion, 97; solid caustics, 99; pustular oph¬ 
thalmia, 100; treatment, 101; erysipela¬ 
tous ophthalmia, 101;, symptoms, 101. 

Ophthalmoscope, examination with the, 496 ; 
examination of inverted image, 497; indi¬ 
rect ophthalmoscopic examination, 497 
examination of the erect image, 498; di¬ 
rect ophthalmoscopic examination, 498; 
how to ascertain the shape and with it the 
refraction of the eye, 499. 

Pannus, Vascular cornea, 132; treatment, 
132. . 

Paralysis and paresis, 230; causes, 230; in¬ 
juries, 231; mobility of the affected eyes, 
231; vision, 233; diplopia, 233; general 
remarks of the third nerve, 235; treat¬ 
ment, 236, 237; paralysis of the internal 
rectus muscle, 238; paralysis of the infe¬ 
rior rectus muscle, 239; paralysis of the su¬ 
perior oblique, 239; paralysis of the infe¬ 
rior oblique, 240; paralysis of the superior 
oblique muscle, 240; paralysis of the ex¬ 
ternal rectus muscle, 242; paralysis, 315; 
treatment, 316. 

Paralysis of the orbicularis muscle, seventh 
nerve, 450. 

Paresis of the orbicularis muscle ,451; neu¬ 
ralgia, 451. 

Protrusion through enlargement of the fron¬ 
tal sinuses, 427; treatment, 428. 

Protrusion of the eyeball, 406; rapidity of 
appearance, 407; mobility of the eyeball, 
407; changes, 408; vision, 409; pain and 
cerebral symptoms, 410; causes, 410; gen¬ 
eral remarks and treatment, 411; opera¬ 
tion, 412. 

Pterygium, 202; treatment, 203; operation, 
203; after the operation, 204. 

Ptosis, 456; treatment, 457. • : 

Reading glasses-, 51; motion of the head, 51; 
single eye-glasses* 51; microscopical pur¬ 
suits, 52. 

Retinitis during albuminuria, 400; peculiar 
changes, 401; treatment, 401; local treat¬ 
ment, 401; inflammation of the retina, 
394; forms of retinitis, 394; retinitis with 




6 


INDEX. 


large gray and opaque patches, 395; cause 
and general' remarks, 395; loss of trans¬ 
parency, 396; vision, 397; prognosis, 397; 
treatment, 398; atrophy of the retina, 
399; causes and general remarks, 399; 
displacement of the retina, 402; vision, 
403; treatment, 403; operation, 405. 

Sclerotic, 159; anatomical and general re¬ 
marks, 159; thickness of the sclerotic, 
160; development, 161; congenital an¬ 
omalies, 161; tumors, 162; inflammation, 
162; treatment, 162; rheumatic inflam¬ 
mation of the sclerotic, 163; treatment, 
163; inflammation of Tenon’s capsule, 
163; treatment, 164; ulceration of the 
sclerotic, 164. 

Scotoma iu the region of the yellow spot, 
380. 

Scrofulous ophthalmia, 89. 

Sebaceous tumors, 446. 

Second sight, 33. 

Short-sight, 4; the power of adjusting the 
the eye, 5; subjects of short-sightedness, 
5; the focal length of concave glasses, 
7; appearances presented by the eyes of 
myopic persons, 7; treatment, 8; accom¬ 
modation of the eye, 9; the prognosis of 
this affliction, 10; advancing years, 11; 
the difference in focal length, 12; one eye 
myopic and the other presbyopic, 13; vi¬ 
sion of the eye in early life; 13; cases of 
myopia, 14; near-sighted children, 15; 
insufficiency of sight, 15. 

Spontaneous hemorrhage in the orbit, 424; 
general treatment, 425. 

Staphyloma of the sclerotic, 164; exciting 
causes, 164; size, shape, and color, 165, 
ciliary staphyloma, 165; causes, 166; 
treatment, 167. 

Staphyloma, 154; staphylomatous opaque 
tissue, 156; iris undergoing adhesion, 157; 
recurrent attacks, 158; treatment, 158; 
staphyloma of long standing, 158. 

Strabismus, 214 - apparent, 214; real, 214; 
degree, 215; movements of the eye, 215; 
strabismus convergens, 216; convergent 
internal, 216; causes; 216; general re¬ 
marks, 217; periodical, 217; permanent, 
218; simple, 218; alternating,. 218; treat¬ 
ment without an operation, 218; treat¬ 
ment by operation, 218; vision before the 
operation, 219; vision after the operation, 


220; mobility of the eye after the opera¬ 
tion, 221; operation, 221, time for oper¬ 
ation, 223; Charles Bardao’s operation, 
223; divergent strabismus follows, 225; 
divergent strabismus, 226; external, 226; 
causes, 226; gradation, 227; treatment, 
228; operation for divergent strabismus, 
229. 

Spasm of the muscles of the eyelids, 452; 
spasmodic contraction of the levator pal- 
pebrm muscle, 452; spasm of the orbicu¬ 
laris muscle, 452; treatment, 452; trem¬ 
bling, or spontaneous twitching, 453. 

Stye, 459; treatment, 460; acne ciliaris, 460; 

Style, insertion of a, 200. 

Symblepharon, 480; mode of treatment, 481; 
operation, 482. 

.Syndectomy, 137; operation, 137; after the 
operation, 138. 

Terms of Classification of medicines, 501. 

Test types, 511-516. 

Tinea, 461; tinea ciliaris, 461; treatment, 
462. 

Tumors, 444; treatment, 444, 445; of the 
orbit, or of the eyeball, or of both, 413; 
cancer, 413; medullary, 414; cancer of 
the choroid, 415; displacement of the ret¬ 
ina, 416; cancer in the retina, 416; vision, 
417; diagnosis and course, 417; treatment, 
418-; advisability of an operation, 419; 
strumous deposit, 419; diagnosis, 419; 
treatment, 421; bony, fibrous, sarcoma¬ 
tous, and fatty tumors, 421; cysts, 421; 
treatment, 422; pulsating tumors of the 
orbit, 422; treatment, 423; sebaceous tu¬ 
mors, 446; treatment, 446; treatment, 
448; epithelial cancer, 449; cancer of the 
eyelid; 448; treatment, 449; tumors of the 
iris, 314; cysts situated near the margin 
of the pupil, 315. 

Turnbull’s practice, 487. 

Ulcers of the cornea, 142; superficial ulcer, 
142; deep ulcer, 142; transparent ulcer, 
143; treatment, 143. 

Vitreous chamber, 299; anatomical and gen¬ 
eral remarks, 299; senile changes, 300; 
■opacities of the vitreous chamber and 
muse* volitantes mote's, 300; hemorrhage, 
301; treatment, 30L* 

Vitreous substance, 299. 

Wounds, 483. 

Wire goggles, 38. 

Yellow spot region, 380. 





OPINIONS OP THE PRESS: 


From the Chicago Medical Journal. 

The first portion of the book is a complete 
thesis on “the use and abuse of spectacles," 
and is eminently practical in its character, 
and, we think, well calculated to impart 
knowledge On a very important and much- 
neglected subject. It will bear careful per¬ 
usal. The various inflammatory diseases of 
the eye naturally claim a large space. As 
a whole, this work is well written, and es¬ 
pecially is- this the case in the chapters on 
scrofulous ophthalmia, and conjunctivitis 
and its Sequel, “granulated eyelid," the 
most frequent and by far the most obstinate 
“of the curable diseases to which the eye is 
subject." The various formula in this part 
of the work will be found valuable. 

The chapter on diseases of the lachrymal 
apparatus (25 pages) is well written, and 
exhausts the subject. Due credit is given to 
Mr. Bowman for the introduction of his 
simple and successful operation of slitting 
up the puncta and canaliculi, and adopting 
a series of large probes in the treatment of 
obstructions and strictures of these passages. 

The division of the work on ophthalmic 
surgery is, of course, about the same as in 
other recent works on the same subject; but 
as no branch of surgery is more progressive 
than this, and improvements, both in instru¬ 
ments and the modus operandi , are constantly 
being made, it is something to say that this 
work is, in some respects, more comprehen¬ 
sive, and in advance of its predecessors. 

The new work of Dr. Bader, just published 
in London, contributes a fair quota of valu¬ 
able and .reliable matter. 

We notice that Dr. Turnbull's practice 
(introduced in 1837, and since fallen into 
disuse) of treating various maladies of the 
eye by exposing the organ to medicated va¬ 
pors is here strongly advocated; and we re-r 
member that Dr. Williams, of Boston, in his 
recent work, takes similar ground, especially 
in the treatment of asthenopia. 

From the Chicago Medical Times. 

This work comprises a full consideration 
of the optical, medical, and surgical treat¬ 


ment of affections of the eye, and is well 
worthy a careful perusal. The first 68 pages 
contains much practical and valuable advice 
on “the use and abuse of spectacles," and 
supplies a want that has been long felt in 
the profession. That portion of the work 
devoted to the consideration of the various 
inflammatory diseases of the eye, is replete 
with valuable information gleaned from 
practice and from all the best authorities of 
the present day. The most recent and im¬ 
proved methods, of treatment are given in 
full; and no single disease of the eye has 
been overlooked by the author. 

The surgical department describes the va¬ 
rious operations.on the eye in a very careful 
and accurate manner, but does not differ 
from that already laid down by other au¬ 
thors on the subject. 

As this work just came to hand before go¬ 
ing to press, we cannot give it that careful 
review we would wish, but will examine it 
carefully, and give a fuller notice hereafter. 

From the Chicago Evening Post. 

Dr. John Phillips, a Chicago optician and 
oculist of many years’ practice, has just pub¬ 
lished, through the Western News Company 
and W. B. Keen & Cooke, a very exhaustive 
treatise on Ophthalmic Surgery and Treat¬ 
ment. Without the technical knowledge 
necessary to a criticism of this book, we can 
only mention Dr. Phillips professional ex¬ 
perience, and say that his book, a substantial 
octavo of over 500 pages, is the most elabor¬ 
ate work on this branch of surgery ever pub¬ 
lished in this country, or perhaps any other. 

From the Chicago Tribune. 

The preparation of this book on one of the 
most important subjects of medical knowl¬ 
edge and practice, has been undertaken with 
great pains by a practical optician and ocul¬ 
ist of thirty, years’ experience, to meet the 
requirements of men in general practice, by 
the presentation in brief of the results of 
study and experience in this special depart¬ 
ment. It will be examined, therefore, by 
the profession with the interest that so im¬ 
portant and useful an aim deserves to 





8 


awaken, and the service which it can render 
gratefully accepted. Though scientific and 
learned, for the most part, portions of the 
work may be profitably consulted by the 
general reader, especially the first 50 pages, 
which contain practical advice in regard to 
the eyes. 

From the Chicago Times. 

Dr. Phillips extensive experience as a 
practical optician renders him well qualified 
to treat of this subject in the department 
which he has chosen—a description of the 
outward phenomena, which forms his main 
topic. To describe accurately and simply 
the appearance of the various tissues of the 
eye in health and disease, and to render this 
science intelligible and useful, is the avowed 
object of the author. 

The book is made valuable by the range 
and reliability of the treatises and works on 
the eye which have been consulted, and 
which are quoted in their proper applica¬ 
tions. These include the best authorities, 
trace the latest developments of the science, 
and, together with the copious cuts, present 
much that may be made useful to the pro¬ 
fession. 

From the Chicago Evening Journal. 

We have just received from the author, 
Dr. John Phillips, optician and oculist, a 
work on “Ophthalmic Surgery and Treat¬ 
ment, with Advice on the Use and Abuse of 
Spectacles.” This is an octavo volume of 
500 pages, and is the most exhaustive trea¬ 
tise on ophthalmic pathology extant. Dr. 
Phillips has lived in Chicago and made a 
speciality of Optical affections for 30 years; 
and we know that he is thoroughly ac¬ 
quainted with the subject upon which he 
treats. His success in treating ophthalmic 
diseases has been truly wonderful. Not a 
few of the speciality doctors in the country 
are quacks, and for that reason we put spe¬ 
cial stress upon the reliability of Dr. Phillips. 
We can form no independent judgment of 
the work before us, but we commend it with 
all confidence on the long-established repu¬ 
tation of the author. Every physician 
should have a copy. It supplies a want 


which, we are told, has long been felt in 
pathological literature. The interest and 
value of the book is not, however, confined 
to the medical profession. There are thou¬ 
sands who suffer more or less from weak or 
diseased eyes who would find in it much of 
practical use to them. Indeed, those. per¬ 
fectly sound in these respects would find 
herein instruction that might keep them 
from abusing the most delicate and precious 
of all our organs. The “ window of the soul ” 
is often darkened before its time through ig¬ 
norance. If this great work is duly appre¬ 
ciated, and the knowledge derivable from it 
put in practice, it will 4° immense good. 
Published by the Western News Company 
and W. B. Keen & Cooke, Chicago. 

From the Prairie Farmer. 

This book is full of curious and valuable 
information. It treats of every possible in¬ 
firmity of vision, and sets forth the means 
for their cure. All the operations upon the 
eye are illustrated by cuts, some of which 
are quite new even to the student of ophth- 
mic surgery. The remarks upon near and 
far-sightedness, and the advice given upon 
the selection of proper glasses therefor, will 
be useful to a large class of readers. 

The style of the work is excellent, the 
phraseology clear and pointed. There is no 
parade of cabalistic words, and no meretri¬ 
cious flourish of science in the volume. It 
is an honest, straight-forward publication, 
that will do its own work, and do it well. 
We commend it to the more intelligent of 
our readers as not at all likely to incite 
them to put out their own eyes, and to our 
medical friends as one of the best means cf 
teaching them how to take care of these im¬ 
portant organs for other people. 

From the Chicago Republican. 

Mr. Phillips is well and widely known, 
and brings to this work the result of thirty 
years’ practice as an optician and oculist. 
His book bears evidence qf careful and ex¬ 
tended research in the investigations of dis¬ 
eases of the eye, and must be a valuable aid 
to all who have to deal with the specialities 
of which it treats. 


Eobert Fergus’ Sons, Printers, 12 and 14 Clark St., Chicago. 








EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY, 

JVo, 82 Madison St,, Chicago, III, 

Dr. J. B. WALKER, Operating and Consulting Surgeon. 


Dr. Walker attend* exclusively to this important Specialty, and performs every oper¬ 
ation connected with Ophthalmic and Aural Surgery, such as for Cataract, Artificial Pupil,, 
Cross Eye, Tarsal Tumors, Closure of the Tear Duct, Polypus, Excision of the Tonsils, Ac. 
Catarrh, and certain diseases of the throat which frequently cause Deafness and Noises in 
the Head, will also receive special attention. 


TESTIMONIALS, &c., Selected from many others of a similar nature. 

Critical Surgical Operation.— Our attention has been called to a very remarkable 
instance of restoration to sight after entire loss of vision for ten years. The facts of the 
case are as follows: Mr. Robert Welliver, of Andrew, Jackson*County, Iowa, met with a 
severe accident, about ten years ago, wMch resulted in blindness, one eye having i un out, 
and the other being seriously mutilated, so that after a time his friends sent the young 
man to the Iowa State Institution for the Blind, where he remained five years. 

About two months since, hearing of the restoration of a friend who had been also 
blind, he came to this city, and, although not a very promising case, (the colored part of 
the eye having been severed by the accident,) a surgical operation was decided upon and. 
performed by Dr. J. B. Walker," for the removal of an opaque lens and the formation of an 
artificial pupil. This was successfully done at one sitting, and the result is that the 
patient can now see to read, and is no longer dependent on his friends. The Doctor has 
also inserted an artificial eye on the other side, and the appearance of the face is now 
natural and pleasing. 

Mr. Welliver is now staying at 257% West Randolph street, and will be happy to.answer 
inquiries respecting his interesting case. 

No branch of medical science is more progressive than ophthalmic surgery, and Dr. 
Walker is known and recognized as one of the most diligent students and successful 
practitioners of this important branch of the healing art. The case we mention must be 
very gratifying to all parties concerned .—Chicago Tribune. 

An Hour with Dr. Walker.— A few days since, we had occasion to call at the rooms of 
Dr. J. B. Walker, Oculist and Auri-t, of Chicago, and were really surprised to find so 
many deaf and blind there assembled. Among others were several from this vicinity, 
and all were progressing rapidly towards recovery. 

Mr. Lewis Wheeler, of Ear'lville, had submitted to a surgical operation about three 
weeks previously, and, after suffering from indistinct vision for four years, and complete 
blindness one year, was instantly restored to sight. 

Mrs. James Fagan, of Lamoille, Bureau County, had been successfully operated on for 
cataract of both eyes, and was on the point of leaving for home, cured. 

Mr. L. R. Leavitt, school teacher, of Lake Mills, Wis., while attending the National 
Teachers’ Convention, had been operated on for deafness and noises in the head, and per¬ 
fectly restored at one sitting, as was also Mrs. Elizabeth Dickinson, of Mineral Point, Wis., 
for closure of the tear duet. 

We also saw a young lady from our own district, who had been blind from amaurosis, 
a formidable disease of the optic nerve, who was sent to Dr.Walker by one of our leading 
physicians, with but little hopes of her restoration to sight, and she also was cured, and is 
now at home. 

These, and other instances of marked success, are of much importance, and, as such 
diseases prevail to a serious extent, we feel that we are doing our readers a good service 
in deviating from our usual course, and making a note of the above— Ottawa Free Trader _ 
A Surgical Operation on a child born blind has been successfully performed by Dr. J.B. 
Walker, assisted by Dr. E. C. Rogers, Surgeon of the U. S. Marine Hospital, Chicago. 
Captain Harry Milier, of Grand Haven, Mich., the father of the child, reports that the 
little fellow can now see, and is making wonderful discoveries every day .—Chicago Tribune . 

Dr. Walker.— We call the attention of our readers to the following from a well-known 


I certify that my mother, Mrs. Livingston Jenks, residing at Tonica, this State, aged. 
69 years, was blind from what is termed capsulo-lenticular cataract, for about two years 
and being anxious to obtain the best surgical aid in a matter of such importance, (as L 
knew many practiced specialties without any special knowledge or skill,) I made careful 
inquiry of leading members of the medical profession in Chicago, and ivas by them re¬ 
ferred to Dr. J. B. Walker, of this city. I therefore determined to employ him, and 
happy to say that, by a skiliful surgical operation on each eye, my mother’s vk 
been restored, and the result is a perfect .ueces. \nd in oonseqvumee of this to u. 
unexpected and gratifying result, I feel ir lb 

unsolicited by Dr. Walker. CHANgEI- a• *.■ ■> r .Kt 

d i.m’ /? Cla:. -Vi., Chicago. 

Cases of sore eyes have been frequent, but they have yielded in every case to the 
treatment prescribed by Dr. Walker, Oculist, of this city. Especially should the case of 
Norris Lapiere be noticed, who recovered very rapidly from an operation performed on 
one eye, that the other might be saved.— From Annual Report Chicago Home of the Friend¬ 
less, for year ending Dec., JS64. 


Patients provided with, Soard, Dodging > and Attendance . 

FRENCH ARTIFICIAL EYES, of the best quality, and all modern appliances for the 
relief of the Deaf and Blind. Address D r , J. B. WALKER, 

82 Madison St., Chicago . 


DR. JOHN PHILLIPS, 


PRACTICAL 



TELESCOPES, 

STEREOSCOPES, O IP JET?, .A. GLASSES, &oi 

French Artificial Eyes Inserted, 

•Sf o. 16 8, O T A . TR K S V R E E T, 
QHiCACO, ILL. 

Spectacles Suited by Inspection of the Eye. 























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